


The Sound Of Thunder

by Savermod



Series: Bound by the Sun and Moon [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Established Relationship, IDK really?, M/M, WHY AREN'T THERE MORE NOODLE DRAGONS?, character gets hurts, chinese/japanese magics, drugs and how not to use them?, man i suck at this tagging thing, not sure if rating or warnings will go up as I work on this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-15 02:01:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8037814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Savermod/pseuds/Savermod
Summary: The mission was supposed to be simple:  secure the delivery truck, avoid Talon agents.  But accidents happen.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is mostly the product of bouncing ideas off of Ready2Comply and chinajousama from the McHanzo Discord, and Beta'd by midnightluck, among others. This is going to be a fun little ride, and I'm excited about what's down the line!
> 
> As always, comments are appreciated, and thanks for reading!

The truck arrived within two minutes of Winston's projected timeline; the team in their positions just a few minutes earlier. Morrison had compared some members of the team to "poorly trained cats that were doped up on catnip", but McCree thought that they were doing very well, considering how fuzzy the details of this operation were. Athena just so happened to glean the data about this drop at a Talon facility, and Winston felt that they should act on this immediately. Worst case, they get to confirm where Talon agents are stationed. Best case, they intercept a delivery of very important supplies, or weapons. Honestly they can't be too picky nowadays.

Tracer was stationed on the perimeter, just inside the chain link fence, hidden by some discarded crates. If Talon agents came to investigate or reinforce the front defenses, she would be able to maneuver appropriately.

Hanzo was on the rooftop of a building on the opposite side of Tracer; his role was similar, but he was also to monitor the incoming truck and front gate. He had already confirmed at least twenty bodies within range of his Sonic Arrow, but there could easily be more within the facility.

Mei, reluctant to join the mission, was positioned a little ways from the main entrance of the facility. If they needed to block off their escape, or prevent the truck's quick getaway, she would summon her ice wall. Easy.

McCree was hidden as best as he could in the alley straight across from the main entrance. Winston assured him that if he could rob a train, then a supply truck should be no problem. (McCree has long since given up on trying to correct fellow agents on the incident; he has suspected that it has devolved into one of the ongoing jokes on base, and he could roll with it.)

Genji was assigned the task to “investigate the main facility, and to intervene when necessary”. So far, that meant radio silence, except for the rare private message to Hanzo to assure him that, yes, he was fine, and no, nothing has happened yet.

The last member of the team was Zenyatta, who was content to meditate as they waited. He was around the corner from McCree’s alley, so when he started to move, Zenyatta would follow as close as he could without giving his position away. Despite Tracer and Genji’s close proximity to the enemy, McCree had the more dangerous role in all this. It made sense for Zenyatta to be at the ready, just in case.

Hanzo was restless. He spent more time watching the alley that he knew McCree was tucked away in than the entrance or the side of the facility. He didn’t like this, he voiced his opinion earlier when they were assigned this mission, and he said so again to McCree in private. At least in his room, wrapped in the other man’s strong arms, he could admit that he was scared, a little. On a normal mission, they could cover each other, they worked best that way. Here, however, Hanzo was precious seconds away from being at McCree’s side.

There was Talon to consider as well. Athena uncovered peculiar code names and facility statistics. They already knew that there were multiple facilities, but the information implied that there were more than they could ever predict. It would take time for Winston and Athena to pick out the nuances, so for now, they had this delivery. Several “high priority” items were being delivered, and if they could get their hands on those items, perhaps figuring out the rest of Talon’s decryption code would be easier.

It was better than nothing, but Hanzo didn’t like that they were playing a game of chess when they didn’t even know what pieces the other side had on the board. And a few of those pieces could be waiting for Jess--McCree, Agent McCree. Hanzo huffed when he mentally corrected himself; they had to appear professional.

 _[[Oi! Looks like our delivery is here!]]_ Tracer’s upbeat voice brought Hanzo back to the here and now. The truck was pulling right up to the main entrance, where a guard was stationed at the little gate. Knocking an arrow, he waited until he saw McCree start to move. Once he was within range, he loosed the arrow, right at the guard that was just emerging from his little guard station. A perfect shot, the man dropped in an instant, leaving the driver to lean out in a panic. Leaning out just in time for McCree to grab the man and drag him out of the hastily opened door. Hanzo was almost relieved until he saw McCree’s head snap towards the back of the truck.

 _[[McCree, there appears to be a man exiting the back of the truck.]]_ Despite the situation, Zenyatta, or at least his voice, remained calm, and Hanzo saw an Orb of Harmony blip into existence above McCree’s shoulder. Small blessings. Hanzo shifted his gaze towards the back of the truck. He couldn’t see the man that Zenyatta had called out on the radio, but hopefully he would before he retaliated.

 _[[Tracer, Hanzo, there’s movement in the facility. They know we’re here!]]_ Genji was on the move, and Hanzo took a brief moment to visually scan the facility. If they were exiting the building, it wasn’t from his side. Most likely the main entrance.

 _[[Roger that, Genji! Moving towards the front!]]_ Good, Tracer was on the move, the front will be covered. Back to the truck. He knocked another arrow. McCree was backing away from the truck, away from Hanzo, more towards Mei.

 _[[Fellas, I think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew down here. I need backup.]]_ At first, Hanzo couldn’t see why--where was the other Talon agent? When he finally saw who, or what, McCree was fighting, Hanzo understood.

First of all, the figure was huge. Easily over seven feet tall. The next thing that Hanzo noticed was that this figure was more Omnic than flesh, and not of the standard citizen grade Omnic either. This was high grade, Omnic-Crisis era. He fired an arrow at what he assumed was the head, and heard it bounce off with a small tnk. McCree saw the arrow, aimed at the target, and fired, Hanzo hoped at places other than the head. Two of the shots did at least some damage, the other bullets bounced like his own arrow. McCree ran, this time angling towards Zenyatta.

 _[[Mei! Freeze ‘im! I’ll keep Ugly’s attention!]]_ With a quick roll for a moment to reload, McCree started to fire at the two known weak spots. Hanzo glanced over at Mei; what was she waiting for?

 _[[O-Oh! Sorry! Here goes!]]_ She nervously fidgeted before leveling her gun at the monstrosity before her. She fired off one, two blasts with her Endothermic Blaster. Solid hits, but they were mere annoyances, and the target turned on her. She paled and froze; this wasn’t supposed to happen!

McCree watched and swore under his breath. Bless her heart, Mei was not suitable for combat situations. “Mei! FREEZE ‘EM!” That snapped her out of it, and she switched the settings on her blaster. Now, when she aimed and squeezed the trigger, a steady stream of frost coated the opponent. Her aim was a touch off, but the target got the brunt of it. McCree was caught in the outer reaches of the blast, but he’d be able to move out of the freeze zone soon enough. As if to calm one particular archer’s nerves, he waved. [[N-Nice work, Mei. You owe me a shot of bourbon after this though.]]

Hanzo finally allowed himself to breathe. They were safe, for the moment anyways. _[[Genji, Tracer, what’s your status?]]_

_[[I’m taking this ol’ banger out for a spin!]]_

_[[E-Excuse me Tracer?]]_

_[[She’s stealing the truck, Hanzo.]]_

Sure enough, there was Tracer, looking a bit too pleased with herself in the driver’s seat of the truck, with Genji hopping into the passenger’s seat. Well, it worked, and after a quick glance at the main building, now was the time to make their escape.

_[[Well done, everyone load up into the truck. We’ll sort--]]_

_[[MCCREE NO!]]_

Mei’s shrill scream completely derailed Hanzo’s train of thought. He saw McCree, still shivering, swerve and watch in horror as something on the Omnic cyborg exploded. In slow motion, he saw a strange, grey gas suddenly engulf him. Then, another explosion; this time, it slammed McCree into the ground, his body skidding a few feet before stopping.

McCree did not get up.

Hanzo couldn’t recall what exactly he screamed, but he ran across the clearing. He had no idea how he got down the building so quickly, but he didn’t care. He blood was searing through his veins, and he never stopped until he was kneeling at McCree’s side. Professionalism be damned, he held the man he loved close.

“Jesse? Jesse, mewosamasu? Jesse? Onegaishimasu, itoshii…”

His voice sounded so small, his hands trembling as he brushed Jesse’s unruly hair out of his face. He didn’t notice how the monstrosity from before had crumbled to the ground. He didn’t notice how meekly Mei went to retrieve Jesse’s hat, tears in her eyes. He never noticed how, throughout this entire ordeal, Zenyatta’s Orb of Harmony never left Jesse’s side. All he knew, all he focused on, was Jesse’s shallow breathing, his faint heartbeat.

He did jump when Tracer pulled up in the Talon delivery truck, honking the horn for good measure. “Hurry up love! Get him in the back!”

Hanzo didn’t have to be told twice; gently, he picked Jesse up and jogged over to the truck. Zenyatta was there immediately at the truck’s back door, helping Genji make a space for Jesse. Mei claimed Genji’s former seat, and if the ninja noticed, he showed no outward sign of caring.

The fallen agent secured--as well as he could be, seeing as Hanzo refused to let go of him--Zenyatta and Genji pulled the doors closed. Once Genji gave the signal, Tracer floored it. The transport was only ten minutes away, and every second counted.

Zenyatta watched in silence. He knew that Mercy, who was waiting at the transport--”just in case”--would be able to assist Jesse more than himself. But he was trained to monitor the lifesigns of both Omnics and humans. Jesse was physically fine; a bit crispier around the edges, could cut back on the smoking, sure, but his physical appearance did not reflect his health. As he scanned the prone human, he only saw signs of Jesse being in a deep sleep. Almost like he was meditating.

Hopefully, Mercy would have a more scientific explanation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation notes:
> 
> mewosamasu - wake up  
> onegaishimasu - please  
>  ~~anata - this is closest I could come up with from a Japanese term of endearment for a male partner, closest translation is "Darling"~~  
>  Neko_Neko_Chan informed me that anata wouldn't be a good term here--good catch, thank you! :D--so:  
> itoshii - beloved


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genji looks after his brother, and finds that there's at least one other person who can't sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was lovingly Beta'd by midnightluck. Thank you!

Seeing Jesse like this hurt Hanzo.

“Comatose,” Dr. Ziegler confirmed, just hours after they arrived at Watchpoint:  Gibraltar.  She tried to offer Hanzo her sympathies, but he wouldn’t hear them.  He sat by Jesse’s cot in the medical ward; no one else dared to come forward.  Especially when Hanzo reached out, took Jesse’s hand, and started sobbing.

Everyone gave that corner of the compound a wide berth, at least for now.  Genji knew that at some point, his Brother would have to leave Jesse’s side.  Dr. Ziegler emerged from her office, her face crestfallen, when Genji stopped her.  “You need  to rest, Doctor.  I’ll see to my brother.”  Relief blossomed on the woman’s face.  After telling Hanzo of Jesse’s condition, the archer was passionately furious.  What did she mean, there wasn’t anything she could do?  She’s pulled off the impossible, created miracles before--why couldn’t she save him?  Hanzo’s questions hit a little too close to home.  She knew the questions weren’t fueled by cruel intentions or spite, but rather the desperation of a distraught lover.

There were rumors of those two, of how they snuck off after missions, sometimes even during long term assignments.  Everyone noticed that they tried to play innocent, but even Winston noticed how close they were--socially, emotional, and physically.  Oh, boy.  Lucio swears he saw them making out behind the storage units.  There were suspect markings on both of them, their state of undress questionable when the base was on high alert.

Jack Morrison watched them closely.  He knew there was something going on.  But, they did their jobs.  When it counted, they kept everything professional.  He had his words with both of them individually; they never outright denied anything, but Morrison went on to bluntly state that relationships like what he _suspected_ they had could complicate things.  Such a relationship, even a hypothetical one, could jeopardize a mission, the other agents, even Overwatch itself.  And they both agreed; being distracted for any reason would not be appropriate, or safe.

Genji remembered Hanzo fuming a bit after one such conversation.  Oh, Genji knew what was going on, he didn’t waste three whole nights “investigating” for nothing, and he understood where Hanzo and Morrison were coming from.  Genji couldn’t help but recall that night with such startling clarity.  And today…  

There were no lapses in concentration.  A small slip on Mei’s part, but how would she know that freezing the Cyborg would cause such a reaction?  And she felt terrible about her role in Jesse’s fate.  Last Genji heard, she was bawling in Ana’s room.  She still had Jesse’s hat, and every time she tried to return it to Jesse, even if he was oblivious to the world, she saw Hanzo, she remembered his rage, his sorrow, and she turned and ran for sanctuary.  No, this wasn’t anyone’s fault.

It wasn’t anyone’s fault that Jesse was now in his current condition, dependent on the monitoring equipment, breathing machine, IVs filled with heavens-only-knows how many drugs, and other medical apparatus, just to survive. Everyone performed their duties to the best of their abilities, this was just the nature of the work they did. Sometimes, agents fall. But still, it was painful to be reminded like this.

Genji glanced at his own chronometer--handy for telling time, but it would never make him punctual--and he figured after that fourteen hours Hanzo needed to at least sleep.  He silently approached his brother, who had leaned against the frame of the bed, holding Jesse’s right arm.  Normally Hanzo would notice even Genji’s footsteps, but he had found that his brother was in a sleep-deprived daze.  He jumped with a start when his brother touched his shoulder.  “Hanzo, you need to sleep.”

“I’m not leaving him.”

“Hanzo, Brother, he’s sleeping.  I promise, you’ll be able to visit him tomo--”

“What if something happens, Genji?!  You don’t know!  The _doctor_ doesn’t know!  No one does!  He could be taken from me the moment I leave this room!  I-I can’t do that!”

Fresh tears threatened, and Hanzo didn’t have the willpower to fight them now.  A moment of hesitation was the only delay Genji allowed himself before he wrapped his arms around his brother and hugged him close.  “I’m so sorry, Hanzo.  I know you are in pain.  But Dr. Ziegler is working as best as she can.  And Winston has only begun to analyze all the equipment we seized today.  Give them time.  And allow your body to heal.”

“But Genji, I--”

“Please, Brother.  I know Jesse wouldn’t want you to suffer along with him.  I-I know how you both feel for each other.  I’m happy for you, and Jesse.  But please, don’t let this completely consume you.”   _This is what Morrison was referring to_ , was what he really wanted to say.  But as he spoke, calmly, lovingly, he got his brother to calm down.

“Y-You’re…  Thank you, Genji.”  He turned back to Jesse, brushed his hair back, and kissed his forehead.  He was dutifully escorted by his brother back to his living quarters, Genji pausing before he left him for the night.

“If you need anything, Brother…”

“I’ll be fine; thank you.”

Genji wandered around the base for a bit longer afterwards, ensuring that the door was sealed.  He could openly admit that he was concerned with what his brother was doing behind closed doors--how many physical reminders did he have that Jesse was not there with him?  He prayed that Hanzo took those reminders as a comfort, and not fate taunting him with what he had to lose.  A few more minutes by Hanzo’s door, and he found himself walking away.  He couldn’t stand guard outside, and he would check in on Hanzo, but later.  For now, to say that he was perfectly calm was far from the truth.  He felt restless, nervous energy tangling his nerves and circuits, and his stomach was tense. Jesse was one of his best friends; actually he was friends with most everyone on the base.  To some effect, everyone felt his absence.  But setting that aside, he knew that they still had a lot of work, a lot of research, left to do.

The clattering of tools on pavement alerted him to the presence of someone in the garage.  The garage was close by, so where would be the harm in seeing who else was cursed with insomnia?

As Genji should’ve guessed, Winston was here, still working on cataloging all the items, illicit and mundane, from their mission.  He was wearing thick welder’s gloves and a face mask as he handled the materials.  Behind the mask, his face morphed between fascination, curiosity, and disgust.  Especially when he found further evidence of how the Cyborg was created, similar Omnic parts strewn about the work bench.  The scientist was completely caught off-guard when he noticed Genji right in front of him.  “O-Oh!  Genji!  I’m sorry, I didn’t see you come in.”  He chuckled a bit, because of course he wouldn’t hear Genji come in.  He set his current object of focus down, clearing his throat.  “I know this is a tough time for us all, but especially your brother.  Athena informed me that he’s in his quarters.  Will he be alright?”

Genji nodded; Winston’s concern was appreciated, but he also didn’t miss his real question:   _Was Hanzo going to be safe by himself?_ If Hanzo came from a normal family, that would be a valid concern.  “Do not worry, Winston.  My Brother will be fine for the evening.  I’m more concerned with how much sleep he’ll get.”

Winston averted his gaze.  “W-Well, yes, of course.”  A nod, an assurance of confidence.  “I have gleaned some interesting information about that Cyborg from yesterday, and I’ve even found some samples of what I believe to be the chemicals that… caused the incident.”  Did that upset the ninja?  Winston couldn’t be sure.  He continued,  “Athena is currently running an analysis on them as we speak.  I should have the results by morning, and Dr. Ziegler is determined to find a more proper diagnosis.”  Through logic and science they’ll find a cure, or at least know more about Jesse’s condition.

Genji knew that Winston was trying to reassure him.  It was good to see them working so diligently; if only his brother had the emotional patience to hear this.  “Hanzo will see your work and be grateful, I’m sure.  He is…  Please be patient with him.  To my knowledge, Jesse is…”  Well, no, he pretty much knew without a doubt that the cowboy was the first, the only, to share in Hanzo’s exclusive affections.  But admitting it aloud would be… strange.

“I had a talk with Morrison earlier, actually.”  Genji snapped his focus back to the scientist.  “Given the circumstances and the reports of the mission from everyone else, he doesn’t recommend any sort of suspension for either of them.  You must understand, interpersonal relationships--they make our work… tricky.”

Genji understood, but he also thought that this relationship was one of the factors in his brother’s personal improvement.  He was more open, sort of, and certainly more trusting.  He smiled more.  He actually laughed.  Heavens above, he couldn’t remember a time when Hanzo smiled like he did around Jesse when he was back in Hanamura.  No one among their family, their staff, not even his own brother, allowed him such emotional security, gave him peace.  If Morrison ever, _ever_ , found a reason to punish Hanzo and Jesse, Genji would be the first to defend them.

“I appreciate Morrison being considerate, Winston.  But even considering our work here at Overwatch, Hanzo is healing, and Jesse has been a prime factor in that.”

Winston smiled.  “I believe that’s also a consideration of Morrison’s.  Those two work very well, together, and separated.  As long as that continues, I don’t think there’ll be a problem.”

Genji’s shoulder’s relaxed ever so slightly at that.  “Thank you, Winston.”

A huff, a nod, and a smile from Winston, and he went back to his work, as though to divert their attention.  Athena’s logo popped up on the screen of the computer monitor nearby, a groan from the scientist was his undignified response.  “Winston, you have been analyzing those samples for over an hour.  You should retire to your quarters.”

Genji barely hid his amused laugh, which earned a comical glare from Winston.  “Athena, I still have work--”

“The truck and its contents are not going anywhere.  You should sleep.”

The ninja walked around to the open doors of the truck.  It reminded him of the trucks that the Shimada used to transport their… merchandise.  He eyed the floor of the truck.  “Winston, have you ever seen a truck of this model before?”

Winston turned his attention immediately to Genji.  Better this than arguing with his own AI program.  “Well, no, but then again, I’m not much of a vehicle enthusiast.”

He wished he had noticed this before.  Normally he didn’t like to dwell too much on his “education” with his family, but sometimes little tidbits of trivia really did prove useful, like now.  With a practiced hand, he found a hidden latch and popped open a compartment in the floor.  Winston’s eyes widened.  He would have never thought.

They both stared at their newest find.  Unlike everything else about the truck, which looked like it came from either a lab or a garage, the small box in front of them seemed out of place.  It was a wooden box, with stamps from both Chinese and Japanese markets.  Genji gingerly lifted the package.

“Thank you, Agent Genji, for delaying Winston’s bed time.  Again.”  If an AI could ever sound more sarcastic, Genji would scarcely believe it.  With Winston’s gaze following him, he took the box to an open spot on the workbench.

“Genji, this is…  We should open this.”

“Why, Winston?  It’ll be here in the morning!”  His voice was chipper.  Oh, he knew they were opening this right now, but he saw a fresh opportunity to tease the scientist.  And he didn’t miss the playful eye roll his comment earned.  Worth it.

“Like your curiosity wouldn’t be sated until morning.”  He took a thin crowbar from his toolbox and gently, ever so carefully, pried the box open.  Normally Genji would do this, but Winston was wearing the protective gloves and facemask.  Once the box was teased open, they both eagerly looked in.  Their view was obscured by packaging paper, hastily pushed aside by both, and then…

“Nanda?”  If Winston could see his face beyond his mask, he would see the look of absolute bewilderment.  Sadly, Genji’s comment was mentally side-stepped by the scientist.  Winston looked closer, but did not touch.

“It’s a candle?”

Well, he wasn’t wrong.  “That’s not a normal candle, Winston.  That…  Seishin Kyandoru.  ‘Spirit Candle’.”

“Excuse me, a spirit candle?  What sort… of…”

Winston’s was caught in awe as Genji, whispering words in his native tongue, gently, summoned a… small dragon.  It was as though the ninja shrunk his attack dragon’s spirit down, and… made it cute.

“I haven’t seen one of those candles since my bonding ceremony.  How Talon got one is…  It’s a disturbing notion.”

Winston had been trying to touch the little dragon--it was an elusive little thing--when the mention of Talon sobered him out of his sense of wonder.  A moment later, he was serious.  “Indeed.  You, and your brother are formidable in the field, especially when you summon your dragons in combat.  But…”  He went back to the near-domestic thing currently pawing at the packing paper.  “How did you summon it so small?”

Genji sighs.  This was one of the many reasons why they never summoned their dragons in such a state.  No one would take them seriously.  “They are spirit companions, Winston.  They are not here merely for finishing off our foes.  Yes, they are… fierce, but there’s more to them than that.”  He held his hand out to the dragon, and with a chirp, the dragon nimbly ran up Genji’s arm and settled around his neck, like a scarf.

Winston watched the dragon move, and how Genji was so completely calm about the fact that a creature that science had deemed imaginary was currently perched on his shoulders.  “So, if I’m understanding this correctly, then Hanzo has two he can summon?”

“Of course.”

“And this bonding ceremony?”

“We had our ceremonies once our training was deemed satisfactory to the elders.”  No details were needed; Winston understood that much.

“I see.  So, where do the spirits come from?”

Genji considered the scientist.  He was focused on Genji and his dragon.  These were probably questions that Winston had been dying to ask ever since they met, especially after their first mission together.  He couldn’t blame him for his questions, certainly.  As a scientist, it’s in his nature to question what he doesn’t understand.  He came to the conclusion that he would indulge him.  “There is a belief that everyone is born with a spirit companion.  They sleep within our souls.  I…  I’ll admit, when I was younger, I didn’t really pay attention to the explanation too much.  I was excited about meeting my companion.  Too much, perhaps.”  

The dragon nosed at where Genji’s ear would have been, if not for the helmet.  He raised his hand to soothe the spirit.  “This candle is meant to be used while you are in a trance or in deep meditation.  It’s meant to guide you to your center so that you may form an official bond with your spirit.  It doesn’t _summon_ a spirit, it merely helps you connect to the one that’s already protecting you.”

Winston listened intently.  To him, this was a discovery and answers to his long-burning questions.

And to Genji, it was a spark of realization.

He kept his idea to himself.  He needed to wait and see what the next day brought to light.  “We should sleep, Winston.  Our curiosities have been satisfied, and we will both need to be in prime condition if we are to help our fallen comrade.”

That knocked Winston’s priorities back into alignment.  He nodded.  “Indeed.  We have much to learn tomorrow.”  He yawned wide, giving Genji a decent look at his teeth.  Small reminders that Winston was an intelligent _gorilla_ scientist, and not an intelligent human scientist.  He led the way out of the garage, Athena dimming the lights the moment they both crossed the threshold, as if to affirm that yes, it was _bedtime._  No more work tonight.

They wished each other a good night’s sleep, which Genji figured would be more of a nap than a full night’s rest.  His chronometer read 2:13.  He shrugged, dragon still on his shoulders.  He’s managed with less.  On his way to his own room, he stopped by Hanzo’s.  Athena allowed him entry, given the circumstances.

Hanzo was asleep; good.  In his hands, however, was Jesse’s serape, held up to his brother’s face. This was probably the first in a long time that Hanzo had slept alone. Without Jesse, anyways.

Curled around the man were two little blue dragons, brothers to the single dragon around Genji’s own shoulders.  They would ensure that Hanzo was safe.  Genji never had any doubt.  The twin dragons noticed when he entered the room, turned their heads and nodded in greeting, but that was it.  They would not budge.  With a polite bow, Genji left the room, and once the door was closed once again, he walked to his own room, his heart heavy.

Thankfully, he never crossed paths with anyone else; he didn’t really feel like explaining why there was a dragon spirit nuzzling his cheek in comfort, purring.

\-----------

_He couldn’t move.  Normally, the thought of not being able to move would at least scare him, but here, for some reason, Jesse found that he was… safe.  There was no reason to run and find cover.  But, he still couldn’t quench his wandering thoughts.  He had somewhere, somewhere far from here, that he needed to be, but his mind was clouded.  He looked up._

_A storm was building above him.  Rolling, dark clouds loomed above.  Soon, the storm would unleash its fury.  Jesse dimly wondered when._

_His only answer was the sound of thunder._

_He slept once again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation Notes:
> 
> Nanda? - What the hell?  
> Seishin Kyandoru - Yes, it's simply "Spirit Candle", but splicing words together in Japanese doesn't work as well in theory as it does in practice.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Angela Ziegler finds that Jesse's condition might be beyond her abilities, but a concerned Zenyatta helps.
> 
> Also, Winston may or may not be really fascinated with dragons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Midnightluck was kind enough to help beta again. Thank you!
> 
> Also, I don't know who came up with names for Hanzo and Genji's dragons, but I'm totally using Udon, Soba, and Ramen. The idea isn't mine, and I would love to credit who came up with those perfect names.

Angela Ziegler woke to her alarm at precisely 05:00.  She was showered, dressed, caffeinated (Genji was kind enough to find some green tea to her liking) and ready to start the day by 5:30.  Well, almost ready.  She knew that Winston was researching what he could on the truck’s contents before she retired for the evening.  By now, she would have several documents outlining his findings, and perhaps a few lab results from Athena as well.  But, as she walked into the medical ward, her eyes fell on her lone patient and she was suddenly very tired.

She urged herself to walk into her office; for her patient, she had much to do.  Her computer station hummed to life as she sat down.  Indeed, Athena had some lab results for her.  Winston had found samples of the chemicals that the cyborg had.  They had agreed to refer to the mysterious opponent as such because, while it had clearly been a human, it showed no signs of retaining its personality.  Talon had created many terrible agents of destruction; this was merely another in the long line.

She grimaced; Talon wasn’t the only source of monstrosities against the natural order.

_ Genug _ ,  she scolded herself.  She was a doctor, and she had a patient.  She would work to the best of her abilities.

She pulled up the lab work.  Various proteins and synthetic compounds were listed, most of which were normal to see when referring to a cyborg.  Some of the compounds, she noted, were associated with Omnic construction.  This was a little out of her field of study, but again, this was no cause of alarm.  There were Omnic-standard limbs observed in the subject.

What did give her pause was the prominent presence of sodium thiopental.  A chemical that was used for anesthesia, euthanasia, and….

Medically induced comas.

Angela immediately went back over the mission reports.  The cyborg came out of the truck on its own.  This didn’t make any sense.  Or maybe it did.  She read, from Mei’s report actually, that the target had showed few outward signs of pain.  “It wasn’t phased by McCree’s attacks,” Mei had written simply later in the report.  Anesthesia.  It had dulled its sense of pain, and it was fairly large.

There must have been a holding tank somewhere within those mechanical parts that was pumping this drug cocktail into its systems.  And, when Mei froze it, the chemical reaction…

Well, that explained one part of the mystery, or at least the part as to why Jesse was currently in his condition.  The dose that was required for the cyborg to merely exist without pain would be  more than enough to put Jesse completely under.  The explosion that was noted later certainly didn’t help matters.

She glanced at the clock on her computer monitor:  07:15.  Jesse was overdue for a visit.

As she walked into the medical ward proper, she was a bit surprised to find Zenyatta there.  He was hovering by Jesse’s side--observing, it would seem.  Before she had the chance to welcome the Omnic, he turned his head.  “Ah, greetings, Dr. Ziegler!”  He spoke with polite optimism, nodding his head.  “I hope I am not intruding on your work.  I only wish to meditate and pray for our friend’s quick recover.”

A lovely gesture; Angela smiled.  “You are fine, Zenyatta.  God knows we could use every bit of good will we can muster here.”  Still, the floating Omnic moved out of the way so Angela could check on her equipment.  She counted it as a blessing in all this was that Jesse’s condition never wavered.  He continued to be in stable condition, heart rate and blood pressure normal, with no fever.  Of course, she would prefer if he recovered on his own, though.

“May I ask how your progress is going, Doctor?”

Zenyatta’s question caught her by surprise.  “Ah, not really much change from last night, I’m afraid.  I do know more on what caused all this, but it’s not very helpful when finding a treatment.”  

The Omnic nodded in understanding.  “I have complete faith in your abilities.”

“Thank you, friend.”

_ [[Mercy, are you there?]] _

Winston’s call was sudden, but Angela had been expecting it since she looked into the lab reports.  “Ja, Winston.  I’m here, and Zenyatta as well.  What have you found?”

Winston’s voice came through a bit muddled; Angela recognized it as him clearing his throat.   _ [[Well, I managed to find a hard drive with all the records of Talon’s experimentations that the cyborg was part of.]] _

Ah, that was good!  “Excellent, Winston!  Please send the reports!  Or would you prefer that I--”

_ [[Mercy, there’s a lot more going on than we could ever imagine.]] _

Winston was hesitant, and it concerned her.  Zenyatta could sense the shift in mood as well; he must’ve been added to the channel.

_ [[I’m sending you several files, Mercy.  Look at the folders in order.  It…  This is a bit much to take in.]] _

Winston’s words worried her.  She did not mind that Zenyatta followed her into her office.  Truth be told, she did not want to go over these files alone.  Talon  _ bothered _ her, far more than they would any other agent.  Yes, everyone knew of their ruthless agents, their questionable motives, but she was acutely aware of how callously they handled the lives of others, even their own agents.  To say that she dreaded what Winston has uncovered was a grave understatement.

There was a status update on the computer screen, notifying her that the files had been transferred successfully; would she like to open the folder?  Reluctantly, she tapped on “Yes” in the dialog box, and the files were opened in a new window.

The window showed five folders; the first was named “TRL_1”, the rest followed the same naming convention.  Within the first file, it was split into two separate folders again, this time named “TRL_1_CTRL” and “TRL_1_TEST”.  Angela assumed that the rest of the folders followed suit as well.  So, in whatever experiment Talon was conducting, they have at least five iterations, each with the test subject, and a control subject, standard protocol.

_ [[Mercy, I’ve seen that you opened the first trial’s folder.]] _

Ah, Winston was screen-sharing as well.  Normally, she disliked it, but it might help if she had questions.  “Yes; you did say to go in order, did you not?”

_ [[Yes, I know.  In each of these folders, for all the trails, they included three files:  the health records and history of the subject, a file that complies the notes from the supervisor and doctor that conducted the experiment, and a… video of the experiment.]] _

Zenyatta noticed Angela’s unease.  He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, reminding her that he was here.  He would watch alongside her.  She looked back with an uneasy smile, grateful for the company nonetheless.  “I will save the video for last.  Did you notice anything strange about the health records?”

_ [[Nothing really.  I did notice that for each pair of subjects, they matched them closely in terms of physical attributes and combat experience.  They did psychological exams, but nothing substantial.]] _

“I see.”  She skimmed the health records of the first two subjects side by side.  It was as Winston said; they were physically very close, but in this particular case, there was a ten year age gap, and significant health issues with the younger, who was the “control” subject.  “While I do not approve of Talon’s questionable ethics, there is nothing alarming in this documentation.”

_ [[I… suggest we skip the notes and watch the videos instead.  They are synced so that you can watch them side by side in separate windows.]]   _ To demonstrate, Angela watched as Winston took control of her mouse, bringing up the videos as he mentioned.   _ [[I have read the notes, so I can clarify what is happening in each.]] _

Angela was apprehensive, her hands folded tensely in her lap.  Winston was normally not this guarded, or peculiar, about the files that he had sent her for her medical expertise.  This did not bode well.

A few moments passed before the two videos started, and true to Winston’s word, the videos were indeed synced.  They both showed the subjects lay in separate hospital cots.  They each had IVs already in their arms, heart monitors hooked up, they even had EEG monitors for brain wave activity.  At this point in the videos, the screen split into four:  one showing the subject and their immediate surroundings, then the heart rate and other vital signs, then brain wave scans from the EEG monitors, and finally, a wider view of the room itself.  She had a clear view of nearly everything in the room, and what was happening.  Angela also noticed, however, that both subjects were physically restrained.  That bothered her; she understood the need for restraining a patient, but the two subjects being recorded here were alert, and, to the best of her knowledge, consenting.

She refocused on the videos.  They both had the same time stamps, so these were recorded at the exact same time.  The lab technicians were timing every step so that everything was coordinated.  In each video, a technician, dressed in white scrubs with their faces covered, injected something into the IVs of their respective subjects.  Mercy noted that both subjects went into a coma-like state.

_ [[From the notes, the subjects were both injected with a cocktail of drugs very similar to what McCree was exposed to in the field.]]   _ Winston clarified.  Angela  nodded; the videos continued regardless.

While one video--the “control” subject--was uneventful, the other showed the lab technician walk over to a table with various equipment and… was that a candle?  It was tall, reminding Angela of the candles some would bring with them to pray for their loved ones in recovery.  The sides were elaborately decorated:  dragons, birds, a dramatic mountain range, and other designs that she couldn’t pick out.  The technician took the candle, placed it on a cart next to the subject’s cot, and lit the candle.

That....  That was it?  The  _ candle _ was the experiment?  That couldn’t be all, there was something else going on.

Both screens go dark.  “Winston, I do not see the reason for such concern--”  The screens came back.  Ah, a time jump, hour hours later.

The candle was nearly spent in the room with the test subject, the control subject had remained undisturbed.  As a matter of fact, there was nothing really to note at this point.

That was until the test subject’s brain wave activity suddenly spiked.  The man was suddenly writhing against his restraints, screaming.  Angela scoured all four screens; what had gone so wrong?  

And then the man was engulfed in flames.

Angela watched in horror.  She was watching a man, bound to a hospital cot, eerily similar to the ones she had in her own medical ward, screaming as he spontaneously burst into flames.  He was dead within seconds, but she couldn’t even imagine the pain that he endured.  The technician was busy putting the fires out with an extinguisher.  The experiment was a failure. 

Both screens went dark again, this time the test subject’s video ended, the control subject showed the same scene as before, but thirty six hours later.  Winston paused it, closing the videos.

“W-What on earth did you just show me?”  Angela was in a state of shock.

_ [[What I just showed you, Mercy…  There are two very important parts to this.  The first, is that somehow Talon has cornered the market on  _ _ Sushi...Seshi….  Gah, Spirit Candles.]] _

Angela’s normally pleasant and calm face was twisted in bewilderment.  It was now that Zenyatta decided to speak up.  “I recall Genji mentioning such an item when I inquired about his dragon, Ramen.”

_ [[Yes, Zenyatta and--Wait, he named it “RAMEN”?]] _

“Are you two talking about that massive green dragon spirit that Genji summons?”  And were they really going to start discussing spirit dragons named “Ramen”?  Angela pinched herself to ensure that she was not, in fact, dreaming up this ridiculous conversation.

Winston sighed over the comm link.   _ [[Y-Yes, Angela, we are discussing Genji’s dragon, and by extent, Hanzo’s.  It’s hard to find any information on the Net about this Spirit Candle, but Genji confirmed with me that the purpose of these candles is to, darn it, how did he--]] _

“The candle unifies one with the spirit that dwells within one’s soul.”

_ [[Thank you, Zenyatta.]] _

“You are most welcome.”

“Alright, fine, spirit dragons.  What does this have to do with  _ Talon? _  And Jesse, for that matter!”

The distraction had run its course.  Back to business.   _ [[I believe that Talon, after observing Genji and Hanzo in the field, are attempting to have their own “dragon warriors”.  You’ve witnessed their raw power as well as the rest of the team.]] _

She nodded, even if Winston couldn’t see it.  “And this experiment that they are conducting, the one we just watched together?”

_ [[That…  According to the notes by the lead researchers on this projects, simply named “SPIRIT”, they are attempting to force the subjects into a deep coma state, which, medically speaking, isn’t too dissimilar to a true meditative state.  They use the candles in the hope that the subjects will managed to bond with their own guardian spirits.]] _

“Alright, but this attempt we just watched  _ literally  _ went up in flames!  What do the other files show?”

_ [[Pretty much the same results, Mercy.]] _

“And the control subject?  They are put into a coma just like the test subject.  What happens to them?”

_ [[...That’s the… other part to this.]]   _ Angela waited impatiently for Winston’s continued response.  This was what she wanted to know.  Jesse…  This was why Jesse was here.

_ [[Angela…]]   _ The use of her real name on the Overwatch Comm Link alarmed her.   _ [[Angela, they never wake up.]] _

That was it.

She couldn’t speak.  Her mouth was covered by hands that she couldn’t feel.  What  _ could  _ she feel?  She was lightheaded-- _ breathe. _

She needed to breathe.  But she couldn’t.  She couldn’t save him.  

_ Breathe.   _

Oh Lord, she couldn’t save him.  She couldn’t stand.  She stumbled back.  Crumpled on the floor, did he look like her when he closed his eyes for the last time?  

She heard voices, she couldn’t answer.

She couldn’t breathe.

“Angela, I am here.”

Zenyatta’s calm voice cut through to her.  He was kneeling next to her, holding her.  She couldn’t hear Winston anymore.  But Zenyatta spoke again.  “Angela, focus on my voice.  No harm will come to you.  Focus.”

Focus?  On what?  On how she failed without a chance to try?  How could she--Oh God, Hanzo.  She failed him.  She  _ failed. _  She--

“There is a storm in your soul.”  Zenyatta spoke again.  Was he angry with her?  He didn’t sound angry.  He should be.  Why wasn’t he?

“You must release your emotions.  You are fighting your own soul.”

What?

Zenyatta reached over for a tissue so he could gently wipe her face.  When had she started crying?  As she reached up to her own face, touching just beneath her eyes and felt where tears were falling down her face, the Omnic hugged her.  He was comforting her.

“Angela, you are a human.  You cannot keep your emotions locked away.”

There was a crack of thunder outside.  Storms came and went often, here at the Watchpoint, but when Angela would normally shrug her shoulders and continued her work, the storm frightened her.

She was scared.

Zenyatta lifted his head.  “Ah, a storm.”  He looked back down to her.  “They do sound intimidating--the storms as they approach.  And nothing can stop them.”

He turned their bodies slightly so that they could face each other.  “Angela, there is a storm in your heart.  And you cannot fight it, any more than I can will the storm outside our home to disregard us.  But all storms, no matter how large or small, how calm or destructive…  They pass.   Angela, let your storm pass.”

Let the storm pass?

She tried to breathe deeply.  Zenyatta nodded as she did so.  As she relaxed her body, the waves of exhaustion, fear, anxiety, she felt them roll over her.  She grabbed at Zenyatta for stability, her hands found his shoulders.

She broke down.

She cried.  She hadn’t cried like this in years.  She never allowed herself to just cry.  She had to be strong for everyone else.  But now, she curled into the Omnic’s embrace and wept.

They stayed like this for what felt like an eternity.  Zenyatta never moved from her.  He held her, gently, politely, rubbed her shoulders, and soon, she found herself.

Angela sat up.  Zenyatta nodded.  “The storm has passed for you.”  His voice sounded like he would be smiling if he had the ability to.  She smiled at him.

“T-Thank you, Zenyatta.  Genji is correct to hold you in such high esteem.”

“I am merely doing my part, just as you are, Angela.  If I recall, Genji also speaks very highly of you.”

It was a small voice that reminded Angela that the outside world still existed.  “Jesse?”  She turned toward where her patient slept.  Mei, boots fidgeting as she stood by the man’s cot, had finally found the courage to step into the medical ward.  “I-I know you can’t wear it right now, but I brought your hat.  Oh, and Snowball helped me make you a ‘Get-Well’ card!”  She bounced with energy, as though her cheerful disposition would instantly cure him.

She walked over to the small side table and, with utmost care, placed his hat down and propped her card on it.  “I’m sorry that this happened to you, Jesse.  And I’m no expert with this, but Dr. Ziegler is!  And I know she’s working hard to help you.  I’ve never seen a better doctor!  You are in good hands!”  She reached over and took Jesse’s hand in hers, not with the gentle, loving caress like Hanzo, but rather with the warmth affection of a friend.  “Take care, péngyǒu.”  She released Jesse’s hand before stepping away, then turning and walking away.

A moment of silence allowed Angela to process the compliments of the climatologist.  She wanted to soak in the warm words, but her mind reminded her that…  Mei’s wish wasn’t meant to be.  As if reading her mind, or at least her mood, Zenyatta placed his hand on her shoulder.  “Do not let what you know deter you from finding the truth.  We have only seen the efforts of Talon.  And you have not been given the chance to proof them wrong.”

Heavy movement from down the hall alerted them to Winston long before he actually arrived.  “Angela, are you alright?  Zenyatta cut the call, but I was still worried…”  

She smiled at her long time friend.  “I am fine, Winston.  Zenyatta assisted me.  I-I am still not sure on how to proceed however.”  That was true.  How did Jesse put it once?  Behind the eight ball?

“I realize that Angela, but I think we might have a…  _ unique  _ opportunity.”

Her eyebrows quirked.  “An opportunity?”

Now Winston showed his excitement.  “Yes!  Remember that Spirit Candle we talked about earlier?”

Now she was a bit more guarded in her curiosity.  “Yes…”

“With Genji’s help last night, we actually found one in a hidden compartment of the truck!”

So, instead of him sleeping indefinitely, Winston wanted to Jesse to spontaneously burst into flames?

“Absolutely not!  Madness!  You speak of absolute  _ madness! _ ”

Winston was nothing but persistent.  “Angela, we already have an advantage over Talon in this!”

“And what pray tell would that be?!”

Zenyatta’s voice cut through the tension.  “We have two agents in our midst who were successful with their own Spirit Candles.”

Both Angela and Winston turned to the now floating Omnic, appearing as though he had never grounded himself to guide Angela back to herself.

“Ah, yes, Zenyatta, exactly.  We’ll do our research as we can, to see if we can pull Jesse out of this any other way.  But we at least have a backup plan.  And, best case scenario, we will have  _ three  _ agents that can summon dragons.  Dragons, Angela!”

Angela disregarded Winston’s surprising enthusiasm to focus on the facts, the constants in this situation.  There were multiple files on her computer at the moment that, according to Winston, were repeats of the same failed experiment.  From that, it could be assumed that Jesse would not stir from his cursed sleep on his own efforts.

She could attempt to purge the chemicals from Jesse’s body, but that would do far more harm than good, and would leave him hospitalized for at least a few years.  He might not ever be the same, and certainly not in any shape to work with Overwatch as an active agent.

She would have to do her own research on the matter.  There must be something out there that can help, an angle she wasn’t seeing.  But, in the meantime…

She sighed.  “Let us have a little chat with our resident dragon owners.”

Winston and Angela both paused when they heard Zenyatta sigh, as though deep in thought.

“I wonder what sort of cowboy-themed name Jesse would bestow upon a dragon companion?”  
  
The rolling thunder of the looming storm was the only sort of reply Zenyatta received.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation Notes:
> 
> Genug - Enough  
> Ja - Yes  
> Péngyǒu - According to Google, this is Mandarin (Chinese) for "Friend"


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo has an emotional roller coaster of a day. There is a plan to bring Jesse back, and he doesn't like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For each and every one of you who is still reading this, I cannot thank you enough. Seriously, every comment and kudos gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. Thank you so much.
> 
> Midnightluck was once again kind enough to read over this chapter and make sure it wasn't a complete garbled mess. She deserves so much praise.

Without even being fully awake, Hanzo knew he had overslept.  Glancing over to the alarm clock on the desk confirmed his suspicions: 10:25.  And he still felt exhausted.  His left hand was clutching Jesse’s serape, and he couldn’t help smiling.  He looked over his shoulder, hoping Jesse hadn’t caught him--

And reality snapped back into focus for Hanzo.

Jesse’s side of the bed was unoccupied, and cold.  Instead, a content dragon spirit basked in the morning sun.  Hanzo glanced over and found that while Udon preferred the warm spot on the bed, Soba was content to curl up in the crook of Hanzo’s legs.  With a touch of painful nostalgia, Hanzo recalled that Jesse likened them to ferrets.

Despite the squawking protests of Soba, Hanzo swung his legs over the edge of the bed.  He couldn’t stay in ,bed all day.  Minutes passed as he focused on breathing, stilling his aching heart.  On both sides he felt his dragon companions nudge him, as if to remind him that they were here for him, they would protect him.

After a brief shower, Hanzo dressed himself for the day.  Normally, he would opt for his more traditional attire, but today he felt that aiming for “functioning human adult” would be reasonable:  a dark shirt and a pair of sweatpants of a neutral gray.  He glanced at the serape on the bed.  For a moment, he seriously considered it, but he immediately pushed that thought away.  That was Jesse’s.  And he refused to resort to treating it as a security blanket.

_ “Where did you even find that dirty rag, Jesse?” _

_ Jesse made a mock gesture of being offended.  “Hey now, don’t you start insultin’ my outfit!”  He grinned, settled down on the couch in the recreation room next to the other man.  “You’ll be insultin’ the nice señora who made it for me.” _

_ Hanzo raised an eyebrow.  “Someone made that for you?” _

_ “Yep!  Right after I left Overwatch, I went back out west, tryin’ to figure out where I could live, y’know.  ‘Course, had to keep my head down, bounty hunters an’ all that.”  Another sip of his bourbon, the ice clinking along the glass.  “There was a family ranch that was bein’ pestered by some young punks.  Not part o’ any gang, jus’ lookin’ fer trouble.  I ran ‘em off, and I was offered a place to live there.  I worked on the ranch for a while, herdin’ the cattle, takin’ care of the horses.  Didn’t make a whole lot of money, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” _

_ Hanzo examined the serape with a newfound appreciation.  Someone, from a culture he barely understood, made that for him.  “I apologize.  I didn’t know the history behind--” _

_ Jesse wrapped an arm around the man, toothy grin plastered on his face.  “Aw, don’t get yer kimono in a knot, darlin’!  I know you didn’t mean nothin’ by it!” _

_ “...It’s not a kimono.” _

Hanzo found himself sitting on the bed again, holding the serape close to him.  Without another thought, he wrapped it around his shoulders.  Soba and Udon were pawing at it; Hanzo held his arms out, the tattoo glowing slightly.  The twin dragons bowed, returning to their rightful place within their master, watching from within his soul.  With a steadying breath, he left for the kitchen.  He wasn’t as hungry as he knew he should have been, but he should at least drink something.

Before he even reached the kitchen, the smells of something being cooked greeted him.  Then, he heard the music.

“Ah HA!  Yeah!  These hotcakes are off the chain!"

Hanzo paused.  Lucio was cooking, rather  _ enthusiastically _ from what he heard.  Perhaps he should wait--   


“There you are, love!”  Too late.  Lena had found him.  His escape was cut off.  “We were wondering when you were going to get up!  Come on!  We’re having a late breakfast!”  Hanzo was already aware of how touchy Lena was, especially when she was excited.  She never made a comment about the out-of-place serape around his shoulders, and instead pulled him by the hand to the kitchen.

As he might have been able to guess, the kitchen was chaotic.  Lucio was at the stove, flipping pancakes off a frying pan.  Looking out the window, he could see Reinhardt and Torbjörn at the outdoor grill, poking at varying cuts of meat and having a good laugh.  That must’ve been why he couldn’t hear the German from outside the kitchen.  Ana and Mei were finishing preparing a pot of tea, a nice Japanese green tea that Genji had imported for him a few months back.

Lena guided Hanzo over to the dining table.  “Go on and have a seat, love.  We’ll bring everything out in a jiffy!”  She darted off towards the rest of the madness in the kitchen, leaving him a bit dazed.  Why on earth were they doing all this?

“Sit down before Ana makes you.  She’s more stubborn than you, promise.”

The sound of Jack Morrison’s voice jolted Hanzo out of his daze.  The man had set his visor down next to his cup of coffee as he read the global news on a tablet.  Hanzo nodded as he took a seat, unwrapping the serape from his shoulders and folding it over the back of his chair.  “Is this… normal?”

Morrison glanced over to the group in the kitchen.  They were nearly ready to serve the food.  “No, thank God.  This was all Lena and Lucio’s idea.  They thought a nice meal would perk everyone up.”

“Hey now!  I know you aren’t denying the wholesome good vibes of a well-balanced breakfast!”   Hanzo turned in his seat to find that Lucio was approaching the table with two stacks of pancakes, balanced on their own trays in each hand.  From the amount of food that he had observed, they were attempting to feed an army.  Everyone else in the kitchen brought in their haul right after, and soon the fairly large dining table was crowded:  pancakes, sausages, bacon, scrambled and boiled eggs, fresh cuts of fruit, pastries, at least four different kinds of cheeses, orange and apple juice, the green tea Hanzo spied earlier, and a pot of coffee placed closer to Morrison.

It took every bit of restraint for Hanzo to not think about how Jesse would have probably spearheaded such a ridiculous meal.

“Go on, Hanzo, eat!”  Reinhardt’s encouragement was accented by the sound of three sausages being piled on his plate.  “Get some of the cheese as well!  Good for a hearty meal!  Today will be a glorious day!”

“Ease up, dear.  He can only eat so much at a time,”  Ana chided the boisterous German as she poured Hanzo a cup of green tea.  She smiled at him when she noticed how confused he was.  “Don’t worry, Hanzo.  When Jesse wakes up, we’ll have a dinner just like this.”

“Oi!  You remember the morning after Winston fixed up this chronal accelerator thing?”  Lena gulped down her orange juice while she waited those two seconds for a response.

“Oh, yes!  I remember!  McCree made you those sugar rolls!”  Reinhardt laughed as he pointed at the pastries that remained on the serving tray on the table.  “Reminds me of the _Zimt Schnecken_ I ate as a boy!”

“Cinnamon rolls!  And yeah, he let me have the whole pan!”  Lena cackled.  “I couldn’t find those last night, but I’ll find a recipe and make them for him!”

“Just don’t let Angela catch you feeding him that stuff.  I remember all the icing and  _ sugar _ encrusting the little pastry bits.”  Fareeha had snuck up and found herself a seat at the table amidst the chaos.  Or had she always been there?

While everyone was chatting in relatively high spirits, passing the food around the table, Hanzo found himself smiling.  This would be something that Jesse would enjoy.  And despite the cowboy’s obvious absence, they were wanting to comfort him.  Their concern was touching, and it was endearing to him.

Fareeha excused herself to take Angela some fruit and tea, knowing that the doctor probably hadn’t had that much to eat yet.  Before anyone could begrudge the empty space at the table, Hana had eagerly filled the ranks.  “Aw right!  Breakfast of champions, right here!”

Lucio grinned at the youngest agent.  “Oh yeah!  Great job on the stream there!  You smoked them!”

“You know it! Those poor noobs didn’t know what hit them, ha!”  Basking in her virtual victory, she scooped up a decent helping of eggs before taking a piece of toast.  “So, Hanzo, how long have you been saddling up with the cowboy?”

And just like that, everyone froze.  Lena glared at the offender.

“What?  I’m curious!”

Morrison cut in before she could say anymore.  “That’s a private matter, Agent Song.”

“I-It’s alright.”  Hanzo sipped his tea.  All eyes, ranging from curiosity (Hana) to concern (nearly everybody else) were on him, either waiting for him to answer the poorly timed question, or to get up and leave.  He did neither.  “Jesse and I have been private about our relationship out of respect of our fellow agents.”

With a huff, Hana settled down.  The answer wasn’t what she was hoping for, but for now it would suffice.  “Just let me know when the wedding invitations go out, old man.”

That got a chuckle out of most of the older members of the team, maybe even Morrison himself, but Reinhardt’s rumbling chortle hid it.  “Ah, putting the wagon before the mule, you are!”

“That’s not quite how it goes, you know.”  Ana was visibly relaxed after the momentary tension, and she was relieved when Hanzo had managed to smile as well.

The rest of the meal was spent with good-natured conversation and stories.  When the food was finished and the plates gathered, Hanzo had offered to help clean up, but his teammates insisted that they would handle it.  He thanked them for their generosity, taking the serape from its resting place on his chair.  He needed to go outside for some fresh air.

The sun was already hung high in the sky, further testament to how late Hanzo’s day had started.  A cool breeze played with the fringed edges of the crimson cloth around his shoulders, and he was momentarily grateful for the warmth it provided.  As he walked along the cliff edges of the watchpoint, he just so happened to spy his brother meditating, alone for once.  Normally, Genji was never without the Omnic monk by his side.  Hanzo adjusted his path to give him space, but the cyborg had already noticed him.  “Good to see you walking about, Brother.”

“I’m surprised to see you out here alone, Genji.  You would have been greatly amused by the spectacle that everyone tried to pass off as breakfast.”  Did Hanzo appreciate it?  Yes, absolutely.  Was it completely outside the bounds of reason?  Very much so.

“Ah, I had heard of their plans earlier this morning.”  A pause; Genji tilted his head in contemplation.  “They meant well, Hanzo.”

“I know, I appreciate their efforts.  I wish…”  Could he say it?  “I wish Jesse had been there.  But then again, if he were there…”  Breathe, breathe; he could say it.  He was stronger than this.

A hand gripped his shoulder.  “I understand.  And so does the rest of the team.  We are with you, Hanzo.”  

He managed a nod, a hand trailing the edges of the serape.  His comfort blanket, as it were.  “I wish to visit the medical ward, to see him, but…  I know they are working to help him.”   _ And I wouldn’t want to leave his side again. _  But he didn’t have to say it; Genji already assumed.

Instead of pointing out the obvious, Genji hummed.  “Winston has made an interesting breakthrough, actually.”

Winston?  Hanzo was suspicious of where his brother was leading him.  Surely Dr. Ziegler would be making progress in Jesse’s condition.  “What has the  _ scientist _ uncovered?”

Hanzo didn’t have to see Genji’s face to know he was grinning, his body language gave it away.  “Come, follow me.”

“Genji--”

“Trust me.”

He did.  He followed his cyborg brother through the compound, towards Winston’s main lab.  It was all the way on the other side of the complex, but thankfully, Genji had long since plotted out all the shortcuts and detours.  It allowed them to walk undisturbed, but it also gave Genji an opportunity to have a private conversation.  A blessing and a curse, sadly.  “You know, red really isn’t your color, Hanzo.”

He scowled, knowing Genji was watching him from his peripheral.  “This is helping.”

“Oh?  I’m sure Jesse would be ecstatic to know that you’re using his over-sized scarf as a security blanket.”

“He calls it a  _ serape. _ ”

“I’m aware.”

“Besides, you’re hardly one to talk.  Remember when you had that dragon plush?”

“Ah, Jade!  I loved that dragon!  Remember when I ran around the gardens with him pretending we were on a mission?”

Hanzo rolled his eyes.  “You were attempting to steal Father’s mochi when he was having tea with Mother.”

“Heh, yeah.  Mother thought it was funny.”

“She thought anything you did was funny.”

“Where were you--Oh.  You were reading by the koi pond, weren’t you?”

“Of course.  I was expected to be studious.”

“You should have joined in my adventures, Hanzo.  Jade would have let you have her half of the mochi.”

Finally, a laugh from Hanzo.  “Father thought you would have named your dragon after that toy.”

“Nah, I figured I would be cool like my brother and name my dragon after my favorite food.”

Hanzo raised his hand.  “In my defense, I was very hungry when I came out of meditation.  And the Elders insisted that I name my dragons as soon as I was able to summon them.”

Genji sighed, which sounded odd filtering through his face mask.  “Ah, yes, the Spirit Bonding.”

“What about it?”  It was odd that Genji would stop at the mention of the Bonding Ceremony.  Then again, it normally never came up in conversation.  “Has something happened with Ramen?”

“No no, nothing of the sort--Ah.  Winston has left the lab unlocked.  Lucky for us, eh?”  Indeed, as they arrived at the lab, the normally sealed doors opened when they approached it.  The scientist was not inside, but that merely meant that he was out for a bit.  He would return shortly.

“Do you think it wise to enter without his permission?”

“I think he would appreciate your input on this latest find, brother.”

Hanzo was wary of when his brother was  _ giddy _ like he was now.  Just like when they were boys, Genji would have a bounce to his step that was hard to ignore.  It only took a moment for him to find what he was wanting to show his brother, the reason for this visit, and he presented it with a flourish that implied that he didn’t have to explain what he was showing.

And Hanzo was right; Genji  _ didn’t  _ have to explain.

“What is  _ that  _ doing here, Genji?”

“I found it in the truck we stole.  Apparently, Talon wanted to--”

“Why are you showing this to me?”  Hanzo’s voice was far harsher than he would have wanted it to be, but he was not in the mood for tricks.  “Emotionally compromised” was a term that Dr. Ziegler would probably use.  “I do not care why Talon had this!  This will not help Jesse--”

“Maybe it can!  We don’t know--”

“What on Earth are you two doing in here?”  The Shimada brothers looked up to find Winston, Dr. Ziegler, and Zenyatta at the entrance to the lab.  The scientist pushed his glasses closer to his face.  “Although, your timing is impeccable.  We were about to call for you both.”

Hanzo balked.  “For what-- _ this?!” _  He gestured to the candle, which stood alone on the workbench.

Dr. Ziegler stepped forward.  “Precisely.  We are…  The good news is that Jesse is stable.  His condition will not worsen.”

Hanzo scowled.  “Yes, good, and?”

“Well, from the information we have gathered from Talon’s own research…  He--”   


“Get  _ on  _ with it!  Will he or will he not recover?!”  To be fair, he hated when the woman was never direct with him.  Hanzo needed to know if his lover was going to wake up soon.  It should have been a yes or no question.

“Easy, brother!”  Genji grabbed Hanzo by his shoulders, holding him back just in case he was just out of his own sanity enough to attempt to attack the good doctor.  Thankfully, he wasn’t.

“It seems that we will not be able to awaken Jesse from his slumber.”  Zenyatta stepped forward, figuratively, to deliver the news.  Which may as well have been a point-blank shot to the face; Hanzo’s face visibly paled, his hands now gripping the serape in a near panic.

“N-No--H-He should--”  This wasn’t happening.  He didn’t just hear that.  

“Relax, Hanzo!  There is hope!”  Winston stepped forward, literally, so he could speak to Hanzo face-to-face.  The distraught man looked at him as though he were sprouting another head.  “I understand you doubt that, but the three of us have been deliberating for the past few hours, and we have come to a consensus.”

“That we must use the Spirit Candle on Jesse?”  Genji supplied, which made Hanzo freeze his panicked fidgeting.  

“Precisely.  Since both of you are our resident experts on the matter, we should first consult with you before proceeding.”

“You ask for the impossible.”  Hanzo’s voice was small.  He felt utterly defeated, and from the way his shoulders slumped, his head hung low, he looked like he felt.  “My brother and I endured years of training and meditation before we were even in the same room with a Spirit Candle.  Jesse has had none of that.  You seek to throw him unto the mercies of a dragon, who will not take this lightly.”

“We know; we have seen Talon’s… failed attempts at such a feat.”  Angela shuddered as she spoke.

Once again, he was appalled at their apparent lack of decent judgement.  “And you  _ still  _ think this is a better plan?!”

Angela looked far more tired than she should have, but she willed herself to be patient with the man.  She understood his position, and she could hardly blame him.  “Hanzo, I cannot safely purge the chemicals from Jesse’s body.  And our research shows that the long-term presence of these chemicals will eventually have a detrimental effect on his health.  Our window of opportunity is closing.”

So, they  _ were  _ serious about this.  “Genji, please, speak some sense…”

“Brother, I believe we should have faith in Jesse.”  Hanzo turned to face his brother; had  _ everyone  _ gone mad?

“My student is correct.  Already, Jesse is in a state of deep slumber.  He is dreaming.  If what we have learned about the Spirit Candle is true, then this state of being is no different than a deep meditation.”

And that was that.  Hanzo looked around at everyone.  They were really, truly, convinced this would work.  Even his brother seemed so sure.  He was at a loss, and his mental state wasn’t conducive to formulating a counter-argument.  He leaned against the workbench, unsure if his legs would support him for much longer.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Angela shift suddenly, wanting to rush forward to check on his health, but she checked herself.  She knew better by now.  “We will attempt the Spirit Candle--”

“We call it the Bonding Ceremony, Dr. Ziegler,” Genji supplied.

“Ah, thank you.  We will conduct the Bonding Ceremony tomorrow morning, 8:00.  If there is anything we can do to improve the odds, please… let us…”  Her words faded as Hanzo completely ignored her.  He calmly walked out of the lab, past everyone, and made his way towards the most isolated part of the base that he could think of.  At the moment, it would be the launchpad for Winston’s satellite probes, virtually untouched for the last few months.

Once he found the corner that he determined to be the most well-hidden, he curled up against the walls.  He didn’t cry; he had done plenty of that last night.  Instead, he raised his left arm, and without hardly uttering his request for his dragons to appear, they were at his side.  They knew their master needed comfort; they knew of the conflict that he wrestled with.  They offered their silent encouragement, assuring him that they would be with him always.

They could not speak with confidence on how Jesse would fare, but they felt the bond that Hanzo shared with the other man, the strong emotions that linked them.  To them, his mate was strong.

He must’ve dozed off at one point or another, as he was completely caught off-guard by Genji lightly shaking his shoulder.  “Hanzo, wake up.  It’s nearly night.  You should head to bed soon.”

For a moment, Hanzo stared in confusion, then noticed how the sky was a fading violet, the moon cresting over the rock face of the cliffs.  His dragons had long since retreated to their stations, and only his brother remained as company.  “Brother, did you spend the day out here?”

“I… suppose I have.”

“You should have gone to the medical ward.”

“Why?  What good would it have done?”  Hanzo was tired.  The thought of watching Jesse merely breathe, merely existing--he couldn’t take much more of that.  Yesterday, when he stood vigil, he was allowed the hope that those brown eyes he loved so much would flutter open, that he would hear the voice he adored.  That hope was stripped away in favor of a much more dangerous gamble.  He hated the thought that the last time he saw the man he loved was when he was laying in a bed, completely unaware of the world around him, and never waking up.

Genji steeled himself.  He knew this would be a difficult conversation.  “Hanzo, please.  I know you’re hurting.  I cannot even begin to try to comprehend how you feel.  But I do know that you can’t give up on Jesse.  With the candle, we’re giving him a chance to pull himself out.  Tomorrow, there’s a good chance that he’ll wake up on his own willpower.”

“And if he doesn’t?”  He hated how his voice crackled, his emotions seeping through all too easily.

“I am confident he will.”  Genji allowed himself a laugh.  “He is like you; far too stubborn for his own good.”  Before Hanzo knew it, his brother had hoisted him up, an arm slung around him to guide him away from his corner of solitude.  “Let’s head back.  I have a small bottle of sake you can have.  It’s not enough to get drunk, thankfully, but maybe it’ll help ease your nerves.”

Sake, sake was good, Hanzo conceded.  And he allowed his brother to guide him back to his room.  They encountered no one else on their journey; it was blissfully quiet.  Genji stopped by his room for long enough to bring the bottle of sake before continuing to Hanzo’s room.  The sake was room temperature, as he preferred it, and there was a nice floral note as he poured himself a shot.  Genji politely declined a drink, but instead sat next his brother, both of their backs against the bunk.

Hanzo finished his drink, leaning his head back as the sake burned down his throat.  “I will use this chance to give Jesse one of my dragons.”

Genji paused.  “You’re going to what now?”

“I love both of my dragons, but I love Jesse more.  I will give him one.  Udon would be suitable--”

“Brother you can’t just give a spirit guardian away!”  Genji was exasperated, his brother was speaking nonsense!

“Yes, I can!”  Hanzo slammed his fist down, wincing at the force.  A deep breath, relax.  “I apologize, Genji.”

His brother nodded.  “It’s all right.  I know you want to help him, to give him another option.  But…  Why do you think this will even work?”

Whether from the question or the sake, Hanzo laughed, deep and loud.  “Ah, dear brother.  I’m surprised you asked me that question!”

Genji was confused.  “Hanzo?”

“Hanzo.  Han-Zo.  Tell me, brother, did you ever wonder why the first character of my name means ‘half’?”

Still lost, Genji prodded him.  “N-No, but what does that have to do with this?”

“I was meant to have a twin.  Mother told me the night I bonded with two dragons.  One of them was meant for my twin brother.”  He poured himself more sake.  “He died in childbirth.  Mother believes that the dragon in his soul entered my own, to save himself.”  

As Hanzo gulped his drink down, Genji was left flabbergasted.  He would never have even guessed this.  He had thought Hanzo was named after a famous samurai.  And he thought, like his father and all the elders, that his brother being bonded to two dragons was a sign of a blessing.  But this…it made sense.  And, by that logic, this crazy plan of his also made sense.  One of the dragons wasn’t meant for him originally.

Moments passed by in silence, and Hanzo apparently had finished off the bottle of sake.  Genji looked over at his brother.

“So, you  _ love  _ him?”

Hanzo rolled his eyes.  Of course  _ that  _ would be what Genji ultimately lingered on.  “Y-Yes.”

“Have you told him?  Does he know?”

Hanzo’s posture shrunk into itself, his head bowed slightly.  “No.”

Genji cringed; he had been too eager to ask a very dangerous question.  He wrapped an arm around his brother before he fell into the trap of despair that he knew he’d brought up.  “Then by tomorrow night, you’ll be able to tell him.”

Hanzo gripped the serape that had managed to stay wrapped around his shoulders.  He didn’t like this plan, but if this was his only chance to bring Jesse back, then he’ll take it.  “I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation Notes:
> 
> Nothing much for this chapter, except for Schnecken, which look like this:
> 
> http://www.citysweettooth.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Schnecken-1.jpg
> 
> So, Schnecken is apparently German for snails? Delicious snails?
> 
> EDIT: Thank you Orangebubble for the clarification of Zimt Schnecken! (Zimt = cinnamon!)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Candle is lit, the gauntlet is thrown, and Jesse McCree is stuck between a dream and a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I have to thank the wonderful Midnightluck for beta'ing this and helping me with basic English grammar.
> 
> And, of course, thank you for reading this. Every comment, kudos, and bookmark makes me fluffle with warm, fuzzy feelings.

Zenyatta woke up promptly at 6:00.  It’s the same as every morning; his internal chronometer has never been off.  He unplugs his charge cable and ensures that it withdraws into the external battery pack.  As part of his morning ritual, he takes the battery to the solar panel that he requested to be set up, much to the grumbling chagrin of  Torbjörn.  He sat on the sparse grass of the courtyard, meditating in the first rays of sunlight.  Today, more than ever, he needed to focus.

His mind now sharp and ready, he returned to his personal quarters.  He never needed much to live, so he used his dorm as a sort of storage for any sort of material that he would need:  incense, spare meditation mats, additional robes for special occasions, and three bookcases of books on any subject he found fascinating at the time.  He also lovingly cared for three bonsai trees of varying sizes by the window.

He loaded a basket with his favorite incense burner, a few sticks of frankincense incense, and, after tying it with some twine, a bundle of sage, sweet grass, lavender, and a few rose petals.  Figuring it wouldn’t hurt, he also packed a vial of olive oil.  Anointing wasn’t something he regularly practiced, but Jesse could use every blessing and advantage he could offer, even if the practice was technically of the Christian faith.  It always helps to be prepared for all rituals.

Basket in his lap, he went to the medical ward where Dr. Ziegler was already waiting.  She was pacing nervously, but she relaxed when she saw Zenyatta floating nearby.  “Ah, there you are.  Good, good.  Was Genji able to assist you in your preparations yesterday?”

“Ah, not exactly, Dr. Ziegler.  While he does not remember many details, he does remember smelling various spices and ‘strange perfume’, which we determined to be incense.  That, thankfully, I was prepared for.”  He offered the basket for her approval.  “We will have to burn them for it to be effective, so I hope you do not mind the restricted use of flame.”

“No, no, this is good!  We will be lighting a magic candle; I will not mind the burning of incense and…”  She lifted the bundle of herbs out of curiosity.  “Is this for burning as well?”

“Yes.  That is for the purification of the area.  As I pray, I will also anoint as I pray for Jesse’s protection, strength, and good fortune.”

Angela nodded in approval.  “Honestly, this is much better than I could have hoped for, thank you.  Sometimes I forget that you are a trained monk with experience with…well, not anything like this, exactly.”

Laughter was always odd, coming from an Omnic, but Zenyatta’s was always a warm sound, despite the odd metallic filter.  After procuring Jesse’s lighter from Angela, he started his work.  Soon, the smell of hospital grade disinfectant was dulled by the fragrance of herbs and smoke.  He prayed, his hand over Jesse’s eyes, marking his forehead with a lotus.

He was familiar enough with his student to know that Genji was approaching him.  Unlike the other monks in the monastery, Genji actually had to breathe.  “Master, is everything ready?”

“Almost, my dear student.”  Angela had a table between Jesse’s hospital bed and the window, and it was here that the Spirit Candle was placed.  Zenyatta set the incense burner on the table as well, the sticks of incense already in place.  “There.  Now we are ready.  And your brother?”

“He is coming.  He wanted to finish his tea, to give himself a chance to focus.”

“Focus?”

“Yes, my brother will attempt something…rather foolish.”

“And you will allow him?”  ‘Foolish’ had a wide range of meanings, and it was hard to tell from Genji’s tone which he referred to.

“Yes, Master.  I doubt it will do any harm, and on the off chance it  _ does  _ work, then all the better.  Hanzo just needs a chance to try and fix this on his own.”

They only had to wait a moment or so before Hanzo arrived.  Dressed in his traditional outfit, more suited for the battlefield than the medical ward, Genji knew that his brother lamented the lack of a more ceremonial outfit.  Despite the rushed, desperate planning, this was a sacred ceremony they were hoping to perform.  

They both remembered the elaborate kimonos that their parents had worn; their mother’s white and lavender had stood in stark contrast to their father’s grey and black.  The Elders had worn their own, but Hanzo and Genji had only cared that their parents were there.  Hanzo had had his Bonding Ceremony when he was nine, a prodigious age.  Genji was a touch behind schedule, having his right before his eleventh birthday.  Still, their father was proud, and their mother… worried.  It was sad to see her cry, but she had insisted that she was proud as well.

Hanzo had Jesse’s serape folded in his arms.  Glancing at the clock, he saw that they had ten minutes before the candle was lit.  He approached the bed, nervously biting his lip.  Jesse looked so peaceful, laying there like he would wake up any moment and then they wouldn’t have to do this.  However, he already knew that he wouldn’t wake.  Gently, he unfolded the red cloth and draped it over Jesse.  Maybe something familiar would give him strength.

“Are you all right, Hanzo?”

Angela’s words of concern brought him out of his daze.  She held the lighter--Jesse’s lighter.  They were ready to proceed.  It was then that Hanzo noticed Jesse’s hat on the table on the man’s right.  Surrounding it were numerous cards, handmade and store bought, all wishing Jesse a speedy recovery.  There was even a vase of fresh hydrangeas.

He wasn’t the only one who needed their cowboy back.

“I-I’m not who you should be concerned for.  Go on with the Candle.  Once it is lit, I wish to try…something.”  He couldn’t think of the technical term for “attempt to give my dragon to my boyfriend/lover”.

“Well, I hope you won’t mind me recording this.  F-For research purposes.”  Somehow, Winston had managed to sneak past both of them, adjusting the sensors on Jesse’s forehead.  Brainwave monitoring, Hanzo assumed.  

Angela sighed, shaking her head before walking over to the Candle.  “Is everything ready?”

Winston checked the tablet he was holding.  “Everything is primed and ready to go.”

Hanzo rubbed his left arm.  “As ready as we can be.”

“And so, we begin.”  She lit the sticks of incense, breathing in deeply before lighting the Candle.

For a moment, it seemed like nothing happened.  Winston watched his tablet before turning to Dr. Ziegler.  “There is a spike in brain activity.  I-I think it’s working.”

“Then it’s time for me to give him a better chance.”  To be honest, Hanzo had no idea how he was supposed to do this.  But he felt Udon curl within him--the dragon was waiting; he was ready.  He stepped forward to stand by Jesse’s side.  Moving the serape a little, he was able to place his left hand on Jesse’s chest.  He had to focus; presumably, he only had one chance to attempt this.

The sky was supposed to be clear today, sunny with a nice breeze.  The sudden clap of thunder made everyone jump, even as Hanzo was knocked across the room.  There was a squawk heard just after, from a blue spirit dragon sprawled on Hanzo’s lap.  It took a while for everyone else in the room to understand what had happened:  Hanzo’s attempt to give one of his dragons to Jesse had been bluntly rejected.

Genji shook his head.  “Guess that’s a ‘No’, brother.”

+*+*+*+*+

_ Jesse had been wandering the wind-swept valley aimlessly when he hears a familiar roar high above the clouds.  Patches of the sky lit up with an electric blue before fading back to the dark grey it had been for…a while now.  He cant recall the last time he saw the sun, and the sky is crowded with swollen storm clouds.  Thunder rumbles every so often, but not a drop of rain falls.  He kicks the ground; judging from the amount of dust, it could use a decent soak. _

_ He catches a glimpse of the town out of the corner of his eye.  Funny how he never noticed it before.  It seems familiar, and he sees no harm in exploring it.   _

_ As he walks closer, he starts to notice that the buildings were not just familiar; he knows them.  He recognizes the church that his mother dragged him and his father to every Sunday.  There was the diner that they would go to for lunch right after.  Down the street, he sees the bank and saloon from a movie he watched with his father, it had been their favorite.  And in the center of the town, where there should have been a small courtyard with a small fountain and benches, is his childhood home.  It’s small; the screen door has a few tears in the mesh, the curtains are a cheery yellow that his mother loved, and there’s the rocking horse he got for his third birthday, right next to his father’s favorite chair.  Just as he remembers it.  But it isn’t supposed to be so close to the town.   _

_ Actually, nothing is where it was supposed to be.  The theater is right where the school should have been, although, to be perfectly honest, he had spent more time there than in his classes anyways.  The store that his mother worked in isn’t supposed to be across from the jailhouse.  And the buildings themselves… stores built in the early 2010s right next to old Western scenes from movies he’d seen a hundred times, yet he can’t name a single title. _

_ He walks down the main street, attempting to make sense of it all, when he hears someone.  He pauses, focused on the voice.  His eyes go wide--Mama.  He hasn’t heard her voice in years.  Yet she’s here, calling for him.  He runs for the house--his home.  Then he hears her voice again, and she…isn’t in the house.  He runs back out into the street.  He can’t tell where her voice is coming from. _

_ Then, he hears music.  More specifically, an acoustic guitar.  Papa.  He hears his father, singing along with his guitar.  Once again, he can’t tell where the music was coming from.  He hears his mother laughing, asking him where he is.  He’s missing the music. _

_ “Come, sit by me, hijo.”   _

_ He comes to the very startling, very painful realization that he is very much alone in the familiar town.   _

+*+*+*+*+

“Brother, would you  _ please _ sit down and relax?  This takes a while.”  It had been an hour since the Candle had been lit--no one dared mentioned “the incident”.  Udon had long since retreated within his master, after basking in Angela’s affections.

“I can’t just  _ relax,  _ Genji!  And I’m not the only one worried!”

“True, but you are the only one currently wearing a path into the tiles.”  He removed his facemask so he could sip the now lukewarm tea Zenyatta had made for the brothers.  This was going to be a long day.

+*+*+*+*+

_ Jesse hears them long before he saw them.  Coyotes.  A whole pack of the snarling beasts.  He sees them slinking their way between the buildings. _

_ He stands his ground on the street, hand within an inch of Peacekeeper, ready to defend himself.  What few glimpses he manages to catch of them are troubling.  They don’t seem to have physical forms, or at least nothing that he recognizes as normal.  They are wisps of dark mist, red eyes glowing as they snarl and bare their teeth. _

_ He has no desire to test whether or not the teeth are made of mist as well.  The first one lunges at him, and he snaps Peacekeeper from her holster and fires a bullet between the beast’s eyes.  But all the bullet does is split the beast down the middle, and where one had attacked him, now there are two, and he has to roll out of the way as they charge forward.   _

_ Peacemaker seems to never run out of bullets, but the pack is growing exponentially as he fires off each round.  Soon, he is overwhelmed, and he quickly finds that the teeth hurt far more than they should.  They bite his legs, hoping to drag him down, and he has to kick them off.  One lucky mutt manages to latch onto his right arm, and it feels like fire clamped onto his skin.  He slings it off, holding his arm against his chest as he shields with his left arm. _

_ Then he hears the screams.  Not Mama, no, but others.  Women crying out the names of their sons, daughters.  Men dying.  Children wailing.  The pack was attacking people that Jesse couldn’t see; he can only hear them. _

_ And Jesse is making everything worse.  He can’t kill them.  But maybe… he can distract them. _

_ “Hey, come an’ git me!”  He runs as fast as he can with a limp, straight out of the town of familiar sights, and the pack hounds his every step.  He sees the familiar rock formations of his favorite spot along Route 66; he knows those caves better than the town.  And hopefully, better than the creatures at his heels.  He no longer hears the anonymous cries for help, but instead the snarling of the pack.  He twists out of the way of a few daring lunges, but a few manage to tear away at his arms.  They are wearing him down.  Unless he finds a safe place to hide, he isn’t going to last much longer. _

+*+*+*+*+

Everyone hears the machine alert them to Jesse’s drop in heart rate at the same time.  Hanzo is the first by Jesse’s side.  “No!  No, no, Jesse, no!  You’re stronger than this!”  He held Jesse’s right hand in his own, kissing the fingers.  “Please, please!  Fight harder!”

“Everyone back away!”  They turned to find Angela standing with a fire extinguisher.  There is a moment of silence; the danger had passed, Jesse’s heart rate was now out of the danger zone, but…

“Dr. Ziegler, why do you have that?”  Genji wanted to laugh at the absurdity, he really did.  “The Candle is not going to engulf us in flames.”

She set the extinguisher down, her face a bright red.  “O-Oh, ah, sorry.  I panicked.”

+*+*+*+*+

_ Despite this being familiar territory, Jesse is lost.  The tunnels did not twist and turn like this.  Where was the diner?  The tunnels didn’t extend past it, yet here he is, still running, still being chased by the entire pack.  There are lights along the walls, evidence that, yes, this is part of the abandoned mining system that bore through the stone, that was incorporated into the landscape, but this far?  He can still hear the snarling of the beasts, and every so often, he sees their shadows dart across the stone.  But at least he has managed to put some distance between himself and his harassers. _

_ Thunder.  He hears thunder.  He takes the path leaning towards the right, towards the sound.  The pack is closing in on him.  He can’t fight them, he can’t run from them, but all of God’s creatures take shelter from the storm.  He’ll take his chances against the fury of the storm if it means sanctuary from those beasts. _

_ Finally, he sees light; not the eerie orange glow of the tunnels, but real, natural light.  The pack sees it as well, and surges forward with a furious rage.  One of them manages to snag his serape, dragging him back, while another chews on his thigh.  The pain is almost enough to bring him to his knees, but he is so close!  His sanctuary--the storm--is right there, and he’ll be damned if a few feral beasts keep him away! _

_ With a roar of determination, he powers through, and he is out in the open.  Free.  The light is blinding, and there is another clap of thunder… _

+*+*+*+*+

The past hour had been terrifying.

Jesse’s heart rate had dropped two more times since their initial scare, and at one point, he nearly went into cardiac arrest.  But, even as Dr. Ziegler pushed over the cart with the defibrillator, he recovered.  It was now 14:00, and everyone’s nerves were frazzled.  Zenyatta was probably the least distraught, but after the second incident, he went into meditation to focus on praying for Jesse’s recovery.

Hanzo was clearly the worst off.  He hadn’t left Jesse’s side once, terrified of what was to come.  At this point, he just wanted Jesse to wake up.  He didn’t care about the Bonding Ceremony, he just wanted his Jesse back.  The serape had been removed when Dr. Ziegler first moved to resuscitate her patient, and he now gripped it in his lap.

Winston eyed the candle.  It was only about six inches tall, but now, there was very little of it remaining.  He didn’t want to assume what would happen if the candle went out, but he doubted it was beneficial.

+*+*+*+*+

_ When Jesse’s eyes come back into focus, he realizes that he is no longer in the canyon. _

_ Well, not one that he recognizes anyways. _

_ He is in the middle of a grove.  He sees the familiar red rock rise around him, but there are vines and lush green growing on it.  He hears a waterfall, and a stream flows through the grove.  Trees he knows aren’t native to his home of Santa Fe, with strange, beautiful gold flowers, shade him from the sun above. _

_ And in the center of this paradise in the middle of nowhere, is a creature that Jesse can hardly describe. _

_ It stands, as though it had been waiting for him.  At first, he mistakes it for a horse, but there are wide, branching antlers that sprout from its head.  So, a deer?  But the tail is far too long, with long golden hair that brushes the ground.  Its body is a fierce crimson, and as he approaches it, he notices that there are intricate scales along the body.  Gold tufts of fur and hair along its scaled neck, and its hoofs are wide and sturdy. _

_ He removes his hat.  He has no idea what proudly stands before him, but he knows it’s a greater creature than him. _

_ It shakes its head, and he hears bells and wind chimes, like precious music, and it walks forward with a grace that he has never seen.  He wants to reach out and touch it, just a little, but he doesn’t dare.  He feels that he needs permission first. _

_ It doesn’t matter, as the creature leans forward and presses the flat of its forehead against his.  It is soothing, this creature’s greeting.  He reaches out to pet its neck.  He hears the bells again, and this time he swears that it sounds as though it was laughing. _

_ Jesse laughs along with the strange creature.  It’s such a kind sound, but there is a power behind it.  He can feel the strength under his fingers.  This isn’t a timid beast, but a force to be reckoned with.  He sees that behind the kindness in its warm eyes, there is the potential for a fury he never wants to invoke.   _

_ But he feels a lingering urge in his heart.  He doesn’t belong here.  He wants to go home, he wants… _

_ Hanzo. _

_ Hanzo isn’t here. _

_ He has to return to him.  Hanzo is probably worried about him. _

_ Jesse never has to ask, the creature is by his side.  With a nod of understanding, they walk together, leaving the quiet of the grove… _

+*+*+*+*+

Hanzo felt it.  Jesse’s hand…he squeezed his hand.  

He bolted upright.  “Jesse?”

Jesse’s eyes twitched, and  a moan escaped his lips.

“Oh come on, Jesse?  Jesse, please wake up!”

It was slow, but eventually Jesse managed to open his eyes, at least a little bit.

“Oh thank--Dr. Ziegler!  He’s awake!”

“Han--Hanzo…?”

Jesse blinked a few times to clear his vision.  Hanzo took that time to wipe his tears of relief and joy from his eyes.  “Yes, yes, I’m here.”

“He’s waking up?!”  A familiar voice, a little more distant--Angela.  The clacking of heels confirmed it.  “Ah!  Jesse!  Welcome back!”

Others were there as well--Winston, Zenyatta, Genji; they were smiling, relieved.  Genji ran over to Hanzo to hug him.

“We were so worried about you!”

“So good to see you awake!”

“Did you get a dragon?!”

Eyes with varying degrees of annoyance were on Winston as the scientist looked at Jesse expectantly.  When he finally noticed, he balked.  “Oh come on!  He’s fine, he’s awake, and at the very least I would like to know if he got a dragon for his pains!”

“But could you have at least waited?!”  Dr. Ziegler was shining a light in Jesse’s eyes, checking the reactions.  “He has just woken up!”

“Doc, I’m pretty sure my eyes are fine.”  Jesse grins slightly as he politely moves the hand with the small flashlight away from his face.  “Honest, I see fine.”

“Let her work, itoshii.  You gave us quite a scare.”  He still hadn’t let go of Jesse’s hand

Jesse pouted half-heartedly, another good sign that he was well and truly back.  Dr. Ziegler checked the machines once again, checked his pulse, listened to his heartbeat, examined his throat and ears, and anything else she could think of before begrudgingly giving her approval.  “You are clear to leave by dinner.  I should have your  _ Bärchen _ accompany you for your appointments from here on out, if you cooperate this well with him here.”

“Bar-chin?  What kinda word is--”   _ Oh.   _ They  _ knew. _  He knew they knew based on Dr. Ziegler and Winston’s smirks.  “I hope ya’ll lost a lot o’ cash on the bettin’ pool.”

Dr. Ziegler huffed.  “Nien, but I’m sure Lucio has.”  She walked over to the IV stand to stop the flow of medicine.  As he watched her, he couldn’t help but noticed a now burned-out candle.  Funny, she normally didn’t like fire of any size in her domain.  

  
And that reminded him.  “So Winston, why did ya ask about a  _ dragon?” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation Notes:
> 
> Bärchen = "Little Bear"
> 
> According to this website I found, it's a common nickname in German for same-sex couples. ( http://www.fluentu.com/german/blog/german-terms-of-endearment/ )


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The danger has passed, and Jesse McCree is released from the medical ward. Hanzo and Genji discover many things, one of which is that Jesse should never be allowed to name anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT.
> 
> This chapter took forever! I apologize for the wait! But with this, I'm calling this story done. If I can, I will continue the series!
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, commenting, giving kudos, and just encouraging me in general! You have no idea how much it means to me! As a peace offering, enjoy this chapter full of fluff! And noodle dragons. Those are important.
> 
> Once again, I give my eternal gratitude to MidnightLuck for being the best Beta Reader I could ask for!

If Hanzo thought the breakfast from yesterday was an ordeal, there was nothing that could have prepared him for dinner.

Jesse wanted to shower before eating, so after Hanzo returned from finding some clean casual clothes, he went to use the shower in the medical ward.  Apparently Angela managed to convince Jesse to use that particular shower after he nearly slipped numerous times--twice according to Jesse, four times according to Genji.  She was hesitant for Jesse to be leaving so soon; she wanted him to stay one more day--for observation, she assured him, but he wouldn’t have it.  He’d had worse, he insisted, and he had already made enough people worry over him.

His balance was marginally better after the shower, but he was still fiercely clinging to his independence, not allowing Hanzo to help him get dressed.  Instead, he was tasked with a snack run, which segwayed into Angela arguing with Jesse over what constituted a ‘proper’ snack.  Nonetheless, Hanzo was willing to humor him; he had a few peaches from his last mission in Hanamura that he was more than happy to spare.  His plans were quickly discarded right as he walked into the kitchen.  

Reinhardt was once again at the grill outside, but now Hanzo could hear the giant man’s boisterous laugh. The door had been propped open for Torbjörn to grab beers from the fridge for them.  The smell of various meats wafted from the grill, and Hanzo spied a few skewers loaded with various vegetables and a few foiled-wrapped unknowns.  Potatoes, if he guess correctly.

Within the kitchen area itself, he couldn’t see the countertop for all the various dishes being prepared.  Ana was stirring a pot on the stovetop, smacking Fareeha away playfully as her daughter tried to sneak a taste with her own spoon.  Hana and Lena were precariously decorating a cake; apparently they were arguing over the icing, as they both had icing pipes ready.  Lucio was slicing a pineapple when he noticed Hanzo entering the kitchen.

“Oh there you are!  Help me out man!”  The medic waved Hanzo over with what could almost pass as a serious look on his face.  “You gotta clear something up for us.”

“Is this related to a ‘betting pool’, by chance?”

“Hey, I didn’t start it!  Lena did!  And I know she owes me because I’m right!”  As he spoke, he turned around and practically shouted at Lena, who merely turned her head and stuck her tongue out.  “Anyways, Hanzo.”

“Yes?”

“You and Eastwood.”

“Otherwise known as Jesse, yes.”

“You two are, you know, together, right?”

Hanzo raised an eyebrow.  “I believe this was previously established, but yes, you are correct.”

“So, have you two started rounding the bases?”

Hanzo had no frame of reference for what Lucio had just asked him.  He stared blankly.  “Excuse me?”

Lucio was now very self-conscious of what he was asking, and he inched further away from the stove.  Mostly so he wouldn’t see the look that Ana was giving him;  the ‘I know you aren’t about to seriously ask this’ look.  Fareeha watched, despite her close proximity to the source of Lucio’s discomfort.  Well, most of it.  “Look, I already know that you two are really, really close--”

“Well, yes, we are courting--”

“No!  Not like--Okay, remember when the whole base went into lockdown two months ago?”

“Talon agents attempted to breach our security, I remember.”

“Right, and you and Eastwood went to clear the storage bunker.”

“Yes, and we were successful.”

“It took you two an hour.”

“There were a lot of Talon agents.”

“Bull.  I saw you two behind the crates.”

“We must’ve been using it for cover.”

“From who?!  The dead Talon agents?”

“How did you know all the agents were dead?”

“Look!”  He pointed an accusing finger at Hanzo.  “I know you two were making out, don’t even try to lie!” 

“Enough, Lucio.” Ana was done with the medic’s badgering, and Hanzo appreciated her intervention.  She pulled Lucio back by his shoulder, but only enough for the man to panic slightly.  “You should know better than to make a bet when you see Lena smiling like she did.  Now, focus on that fruit. I’m not going to let Reinhardt feed Jesse only steak and potatoes right after he leaves the med bay.”

“Yes ma’am.”  With that, Lucio dropped the topic immediately and was back to his task.  Ana smiled; the boy was learning.

Fareeha at least tried to hide her snickers as she walked over to Hanzo.  “Has Angela released him yet?”

“He’s almost free, yes.  He sent me here to find a snack for him, but I think he can stand to wait just a bit longer.”

A smile spread on her lips before she cleared her throat.  “I do not wish to be rude, but may I ask what was wrong with him?  There were precious few details in the debriefing, and Winston was far too excited given the circumstances.  Something unusual happened.”

“‘Unusual’ is an appropriate word for this, yes.  I’ll…  I’ll admit that the situation was troubling for a time, but until I receive the all clear from Dr. Ziegler, Winston, and Jesse, I’m going to refrain from--”

“Oi!  He’s coming!”  Lena blinked from the doorframe to the counter where Hana was now frantically trying to finish the cake.  “It looks fine, love!  In the fridge it goes!”  

“But the cactus looks lopsided!”

By the time Hana looked back to where the cake had been, Lena had already slammed the door on the fridge, the cake nowhere to be found.  “Trust me, love, he can’t draw for toffee.  If he makes fun of your cactus, I’ll just remind him what I have on my phone.”  With a devilish grin, she patted her jean pocket.  Blackmail material, no doubt.

Hanzo went to meet with Jesse before he entered the kitchen.  He found him walking with his right hand on the wall to steady him and Dr. Ziegler keeping pace with him. His serape was wrapped around his shoulders, his hat back on his head.  A familiar sight, and one it seemed like Hanzo hadn’t seen in far too long. “There you are, Jesse.  I was worried Dr. Ziegler found a reason to confine you longer.”  He smirked as he saw the cowboy grimace.

“No, but she was bound and determined to.”

“Well, you can’t blame me!  I shouldn’t have even allowed you to walk this far!  At least agree to a cane--”

“I ain’t crippled, Angie!  I’m fine!  Just need to get the blood flowin’, is all.”

“Jesse, you should be taking this slow.  We don’t want to you push yourself too fast and just end up back in the same bed again,”  Hanzo chided his lover gently before wrapping his arm around Jesse’s torso.  “Dinner should be ready soon, so we can relax for a bit before you eat.”

“Aw, I’ve done plenty of relaxin’!”

Since Dr. Ziegler--and everybody else on the base--knew about their relationship, Hanzo didn’t have to hide the kiss to Jesse’s cheek.  “Calm yourself, _itoshii_.  I’ve a feeling that we wouldn’t get to relax much anyways.”

As he spoke, they crossed the threshold into the kitchen, and there was a sudden surge of people.  There was a chorus of voices-- _Jesse!--Welcome back, love!--The gunslinger returns!_ \--and Hanzo felt them both being guided over to the dining area.

“Jesse!  Sit down and relax, dinner’s almost ready.”  Ana helped Jesse into his seat, placing a cup of tea in front of him.  Hanzo was also handed his own drink--his favorite green tea--before sitting next to Jesse.  

“Thank ya kindly, Ana.  But ya’ll seriously didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”  Hanzo noted that Jesse didn’t dare argue with Ana over relaxing.  He would have to learn her secrets.

“You know better than that, McCree.”  And there was Morrison, sitting where he was last time, this time with a beer.  “You gave us a scare, kid.”

“Now I know you’re not callin’ me a kid here, Jack.”  

Hanzo would have to admit that he was distracted by Jesse, so he was caught off guard a bit when Genji, who had seated himself without Hanzo even noticing, removed his face plate so he could sip on his own tea.  His voice was low as he spoke in their native tongue;  this needed to be a private conversation.   _“I am concerned for him, Brother.”_

Hanzo leaned back slightly, not wanting to bring too much attention to them.   _“He was Bonded successfully.  What else could we ask for?”_

_ “Ramen has been tense ever since he woke.” _

_ “So have Udon and Soba, but I don’t believe that’s any cause for concern.  They feel the presence of another bonded dragon spirit.  That is all.” _

_ “I think we need to confirm what he was bonded with.” _

Hanzo turned to glare at Genji.  He did not like what his brother was insinuating.   _“In due time, but let him regain his strength.”_

_ “Brother, he’s not bonded with a dragon.” _

_ “Enough.  He’s awake and safe now.  I’m satisfied with that.” _

Genji sipped his tea, and the topic was dropped.  Hanzo couldn’t blame him for his concern, as he shared much of it himself,  but his primary concern had been alleviated.  Jesse was back by his side.

Much like with the breakfast from the previous day, the food was brought over to the table:  the sliced fruit that Lucio had prepared, a large tossed salad, pasta, bread, baked potatoes, and grilled vegetables.  Hanzo wondered briefly where all the meat had gone, but then he saw Reinhardt and Torbjörn carry in plates with the main dish.  

“Here’s to our recovering cowboy!  Now, let’s eat!”  Reinhardt personally set Jesse’s plate in front of him.  He knew exactly how Jesse liked his steak:  medium rare with just enough seasoning on it to give it an extra kick.  Normally, Jesse would have already started cutting into it, savoring the meal.  But, for some reason, he could only stare at it.  He was hungry, starving almost, if his complaining in the medical ward was any indication, but he wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic about his meal as Hanzo would assume him to be.  Thankfully, Reinhardt was momentarily distracted by Angela as the medic was voicing her concern of Jesse eating something so heavy so soon. 

“Jesse, is something wrong?”  The archer’s question snapped the man out of his uneasiness.

“Ah, nothin’, darlin’.  Just not in the mood fer steak right now, I guess.”  At least there was a salad on the plate as well; he picked at it with his fork for a bit before finally eating.

This struck Hanzo as peculiar.  He remembered his Bonding Ceremony, and Genji’s as well,  and they were ravenous after bonding with the dragons.  For days afterwards, they only ate meat, which worried their mother greatly.  Their father attributed it to the fact that dragons preferred meat, and now that they were Bonded, they had to appease their dragons’ appetites as well.  Once the novelty of eating wore off for the dragons, they were both able to eat as they had before.

So for Jesse to turn down a steak?  Now?  Hanzo hated to admit that Genji was most likely correct.  From personal experience, this wasn’t normal;  dragons do _not_ eat salad willingly.  Jesse was Bonded, sure, but not with a dragon.

As the meal went on, Hanzo noticed that Jesse looked progressively more uneasy.  Maybe the rich smells were overwhelming, maybe everyone was talking too loudly, but suddenly, Jesse abruptly excused himself from the table with hardly a word.  As he left, all eyes were on Hanzo, who was just as shocked as everyone else.  Even Angela was at a loss for words, but she still had the presence of mind to run after Jesse.

Winston looked up from his plate--consisting mostly of the sliced fruit--with more curiosity than outright concern.  “Hanzo, Genji, is this normal behavior?”

“Normal behavior for what?”  Hanzo cringed as Lena honed in on what probably everyone else in the room was wondering.  She just beat him to punch, and now that the question hung in the air, everyone was expecting an answer.  Not from Winston, oh no, but from himself and Genji; Winston at least had the humility to grimace as all attention panned over to the brothers.

Genji covered his face with his hand, then replaced the face plate, a clear, non-verbal gesture of ‘I’m not answering this’.  So it fell to Hanzo.  “He is probably overwhelmed at the moment.  Let me go check on him.”  And with that, he left the table.  Genji could handle the rest.

 

 

Jesse fell to his knees just outside the training facility.  He felt overwhelmed, nauseous, and even a little dizzy.  Something was very different about him, and he was having a hard time discerning what exactly that was.  

He remembered having a strange dream while he was asleep; the fact that Winston was asking about a dragon earlier was confusing.  He did see a dragon, briefly; he’d recognize either of Hanzo’s dragons anywhere, although he couldn’t tell which one in particular it was.  He leaned against the wall, focusing on breathing and hoping that at least the nausea would pass.

It wasn’t long before he heard the light taps of Hanzo running towards him.  “Jesse!  Jesse, what’s wrong?  How do you feel?”  He felt the archer’s hands brushing his hair out of his face, holding him.  

Jesse considered before answering.  He wasn’t in pain, but he couldn’t say he felt ‘normal’ either.  The nausea had settled a bit, a good sign, but he couldn’t convince himself to leave the wall. “I-I don’t know.  Weird, I guess.”

Hanzo huffed at his vague statement, but he didn’t exactly have the right frame of reference.  Instead, he felt Hanzo rub his back.  Surprisingly, that helped soothe his nerves.  But he still felt… anxious?  Yeah, that was a good word for it.  He remembered Winston’s question from before.  “Does this have anythin’ to do with Winston askin’ me about dragons earlier?”

“Yes, it does, actually.”

“Care to elaborate, darlin’?  He was shooed out faster than Hana with a Red Bull.”

The sharp clacking of heels heralded Angela’s rapid approach.  “Ach!  There you are Jesse!  Goodness, I’m glad Hanzo found you!  What is wrong?”  She sounded slightly winded, but she managed to calm herself significantly before kneeling before them.  “You look dreadful, Jesse.  Perhaps this was a bit too soon--”

“I told ya I’m fine!  Just, just needed some air real quick, that’s all.”  Jesse knew he appeared to be the very opposite of ‘fine’, but he couldn’t stand to be in that bed for much longer.  To prove it, he braced himself on the wall as he slowly stood up, Hanzo rising with him just in case.  He eventually stood at his full height, leaning against the wall.  “See?  I’m good.”  He just needed that particular wall and Hanzo as a safety net.  

Angela wasn’t very convinced, and Hanzo was right with her as Jesse lurched forward, his breath heaving as he stumbled back to his knees.  They were both at Jesse’s side, bracing his shoulders.  “ _ Donnerwetter _ !  Jesse, you’re going back to the--”

The sound that Jesse made was a strangled cross between a pained scream and a helpless moan.  His right arm clutched at his chest, and his left splayed out to keep him from collapsing on the floor.  Dr. Ziegler was trying to help steady the man with one arm as she reached up to her earpiece.  She had barely activated it when she and Hanzo both noticed Jesse glowing.

They were both alarmed, and only Hanzo knew exactly what was going on.  He gave her credit however; she was quick to piece everything together.  She was able to quickly notice how similar the glowing that engulfed Jesse’s upper right arm--the shoulder more specifically--was to Hanzo’s when he summoned his dragons.  But when his dragons were brought forth, everyone around could hear their roars.  Right now, neither of them heard roars but instead heard the sound of thunder.

Hanzo watched as Jesse’s Spirit Companion shifted and materialized into being.

As the thunder faded, he heard the tinkle of bells from its hoofs as it pranced around to face them.  Its body was bright red, with gold antlers, neck, and tail.  It shook its head, and chimes echoed.  The creature stood tall, even taller than the man that summoned it; Jesse's head was barely over the base of the creature's neck, and the rest of the body was stout and strong.  

He came to the rather slow conclusion that what stood before him was not a dragon.

“I-It’s you…”   Jesse’s voice was small as he stared up at the kirin, his eyes wide with wonder as he stood, this time without Hanzo’s assistance or the wall.  He stepped forward, reaching out with his flesh hand, and the spirit leaned its head against his palm.  His discomfort and pain was now forgotten; when a spirit demanded to be summoned, it was oftentimes hard to resist.  

He could feel his own dragons coil within him, but he knew that before he could summon them, he had to check on Angela, at least.  He glanced over to check on how Angela was doing.  She was backed up against the wall, focused on Jesse and the spirit with terrified intensity.  Honestly, she wasn’t faring that badly.

He looked back to Jesse, who was walking around the beast, patting its flank.  “Jesse, do you realize what that is?”  

Jesse laughed, grinning back at Hanzo.  “Well, yeah!  It’s a horse!”

Hanzo blankly stared.  “What.”

“Erm, well, a unicorn--no wait, there are two horns--bicorn?”

“ _ Mein Gott _ , Jesse--that’s a kirin.”  Angela finally found her voice again, and she sounded exasperated.  Hanzo appreciated her saying what he wanted to without all the extra explicatives he would have liberally sprinkled in.

By now, the kirin had stopped its affectionate nuzzling of Jesse and focused exclusively on Hanzo.  It stepped forward, surprising even Jesse, and stomped its hoof, thunder crackling along with it.  If he had to guess, Hanzo would hazard to say that the beast was rather upset with him.  It took a moment for Hanzo to realize that, perhaps, the mystical beast in front of him might be a little agitated over his attempt to bond Jesse with one of his dragons.

Jesse was a little alarmed in how the bicorn--at this point he could only process one discovery at a time--approached Hanzo, and went to stand in between them.  "Now hold on, there's no need to get all upset here."   The creature shook its head, the voice of wind chimes and soft bells clearly displeased, but Jesse's presence was able to placate it.

Part of the Bonding Ceremony, as Hanzo could remember his and Genji's from their childhood, was for all Spirit Companions to meet.  He remembered summoning Soba and Udon before Genji's newly bonded Ramen.   He remembered how proud he looked as all three dragons nuzzled each other,  as though they were all brothers themselves and hadn't seen each other in years.  Father told them to remember this moment, to remember their bond as brothers.

Hanzo remembered that he and Genji had rarely seen their father's dragon.  The Elders were insistent that they had to wait until they were Bonded.  But their father summoned his companion in secret, wanting his sons to see what they had to look forward to.  To want to be bonded with a mighty dragon.  He summoned his dragon, Yousuke, in his smaller companion form, their mother's lap his favorite perch once he had satisfied his curiosity with Hanzo and Genji.  Their father said that Yousuke was pleased with them, and that he knew his sons had mighty dragons waiting for them.

During the Bonding Ceremonies, when their father summoned Yousuke, he summoned him in his full golden glory.  Heat radiated off the dragon's long body, as though they were being visited by the summer sun.  The wide branching antlers looked like a crown for a great emperor, and the fur that trailed along the long back gleamed like molten copper.

Hanzo remembered staring up in a mix of awe and fear as he kneeled, Soba and Udon flanking his sides, bowing in respect.  Yousuke stood on his clawed paws, ensuring that everyone--especially the Elders--felt his awesome power, before curling behind his master, their father.

The purpose of the summoning of companions before the newly Bonded was not only to show off their special place in the family, but Hanzo figured that the Elders also wanted there to be an established hierarchy.  Even Ramen, who clearly took after Genji, gave Yousuke his space.  But there was never any sort of aggression between the dragons.  The dragons felt the bonds between a father and his sons, and they acted accordingly.

And now, Hanzo stood before his lover's summoned Kirin, who was already angry with him.  An already abnormal situation that was rapidly spiraling out of--

"I told you he didn't have a dragon!"

Oh, good. Genji was here.

The cyborg had apparently lead a small rescue party with Winston and Zenyatta.  So now a small group of witnesses saw him standing before a giant "bicorn" with Jesse petting it to calm it down, and Angela just staring at the scene before her with a shock normally reserved for watching someone casually grow a second right arm.

This was going very well indeed.

Hanzo breathed in slowly, rubbing his temples to attempt to alleviate the headache that was rapidly approaching.  "Genji, why did you bring them here?"

"We all heard Dr. Ziegler attempt to communicate with us, but it cut out.  Athena notified us that you were all here, and we were concerned."

"Yes, yes, but why did they have to come?"

"Winston mentioned a dragon--"

Winston quickly cut in, determined to defend himself.  "I didn't mention a dragon!  I was asking Athena if she had any updates on my previous searches--"

"Which were about dragons!"  Hanzo didn't have to know that Genji only fueled everyone's curiosity more after someone heard Winston's request to the Watchpoint's resident AI.  The rest of Overwatch was probably frantically looking for Jesse and a dragon; Reinhardt in particular, most likely.

"Hanzo, darlin', you need to loosen up a bit.  I mean, who wouldn't be a mite curious?"  That damn grin on Jesse's face disarmed him every time.  Of course the cowboy would completely wave off the huge significance of what was going on.

"Oh yes, Hanzo, I'm sure Jesse's companion is  _ delighted _ to meet you!"  Hanzo knew that if it weren't for the faceplate, he could see Genji's arrogant smirk.  "Have you summoned your dragons yet?"

"Wait, Genji--is this part of the Bonding Ceremony?"  Winston was adjusting his glasses, ensuring that he wouldn't miss anything of importance.

The poor archer groaned--there was no sense of decorum or timing or sanity here.  One of the most important moments in Jesse's life, and a gorilla was practically begging them to let him record it while his own brother kept prodding him over his miscalculation.  And Jesse was treating the entire affair as though they were reading over coffee.

"I think it's a great idea!  Yeah, you summon Soba and Udon, Genji brings out Ramen Bowl, and they get to know each other!"  The kirin nuzzled Jesse's shoulder, and Hanzo could only assume that the spirit agreed with the easy-going cowboy.  He didn’t even have time to think about the nickname ‘Ramen Bowl’ for Genji’s dragon or how it was actually more silly than the dragon’s real name.

With a deep sigh, Hanzo raised his left arm, the tattoo glowing a bright blue.  There was no need for an incantation or his bow; with focus, both of his dragons could be summoned in their true forms outside of combat.  It took years of training, but it was worth it to watch as the vague blue form around his arm split off and shaped into the ethereal forms of Soba and Udon, his most constant companions since childhood.

Genji was a bit more of a showoff, still enjoying going through the motions of his sword swings, and with a flash of green, Ramen curled around his master, curious and eager.

The three witness were spellbound by the display, until Angela spoke up.  "Hanzo, why are your two dragons... scared?"

Hanzo blinked.  What?  His dragons, scared?  Impossible--

He had turned around to see two mighty dragons, capable of unleashing destruction upon small armies,  cowering behind him and giving him the saddest puppy dog eyes imaginable.  Particularly Udon.  Hanzo couldn’t believe it.  He looked over to Ramen, and, sure enough, the large green dragon was nervously glancing at the kirin from behind Genji.

He caught his brother’s gaze (as best as he could assume) and they both looked to the looming kirin, who stood proudly next to a confused Jesse.  “Ah, Hanzo?  What happened to them?”  The kirin’s head tilted, focusing on Hanzo.  The spirit was curious as well.

“I-I may have attempted to bond Udon to your soul while you were unconscious.”

“What?  Why?  Udon’s your dragon!  No wonder he looks like he’s been kicked!”  Jesse held his hand out with the promise of head scratches.  Udon whined, wanting to scamper over to Jesse who was beckoning him, but he was wary of the kirin next to him.  “You need to apologize to the poor guy!”

“You don’t quite understand--”

“You hurt Udon’s feelings!”

“Udon went along with my idea!  I have to apologize to--to--!  Dammit, you haven’t even properly  _ named  _ it yet!”

“‘Named it’?”

“THE KIRIN!”

“Oh, right!”  Jesse pat the kirin’s flank.  “I need to figure out a perfect name for ya!  Sorry about that.”  He was quickly forgiven with a light nudge from the kirin.  “Let me think for a bit; a name’s gotta mean somethin’ special, right?  In the meantime, Hanzo, darlin’, apologize to him, please?  I don’t want you two not gettin’ along.”  

The archer couldn’t argue with the cowboy, who spoke with such sincerity and honesty.  The kirin was now watching him intently, waiting for Hanzo’s response.  A few moments of deep thought, and he bowed low in apology.  “I apologize...Kirin-san, for attempting to force Udon to share your domain.  The circumstances were desperate and I was mistaken.”  A heavy silence was eventually followed by cheerful bells.  The kirin was satisfied with Hanzo’s apology.

Genji had made his way over to Hanzo once the tension had passed, both brothers watching the delighted creature.  “Have you decided on a name yet?”

“Jeez, hold up!”  Jesse waved off Genji’s question as he scratched his beard.  “I almost got it, but it has to be just right!”

“We have a food theme already going; you can name it ‘Spaghetti’.”

“I am  _ not  _ naming ‘im ‘Spaghetti’!”

“Aw, why not?  After all those Western movies you watch all the time!”

“No!  But you know,” Jesse waved a finger.  “You’re onto somethin’--I got it!”  He clapped his hands together, grinning wildly.  Hanzo was now worried.  “I got it!  The  _ perfect  _ name for such a mighty fine beast--Quickdraw Spirit-Trigger!”

Once again the Overwatch agents fell into silence, with facial expressions spanning from indifference (Zenyatta and Genji, although that was beyond their control) to awe-struck (Angela and Winston had tempered their expectations, knowing Jesse for far too long to expect anything less) to a lone face of exasperation, because Hanzo knew he should’ve known better, but he was still optimistic that Jesse would name his spirit companion at least something close to resembling noble.  What’s worse, the kirin was pleased, prancing on its hooves, and with each step another bell rang out.  Hanzo could hardly believe it--the kirin actually  _ liked  _ that name, the most ridiculous string of syllables ever uttered by the cowboy.

“Jesse, please, pick another name.”

Jesse looked slightly hurt.  “Aw, why?  Quickdraw here loves it!”

“But you named it after every single horse you could think of!”

“Not all of ‘em!  ‘Silver’ wouldn’t quite fit, you know.”

(At this, Zenyatta turned to Winston and Angela.  “That was the name I was predicting Jesse would go with.  But he is correct--’Silver’ would not serve a red and gold kirin very well.”)

“All right, fine, you didn’t splice ‘Silver’ into the name.  But this is a mythical creature!”

“Right, and now he had a name to match!”  Jesse was far too pleased with himself to let Hanzo’s stubborn requests weigh him down.  They had both learned very early in their relationship that they were both headstrong and bullheaded.  Normally he would be negotiating by this point with the archer, but this was his decision.  And Quickdraw’s, of course.  Hanzo would learn to love the name.

Zenyatta hovered forward, separating himself from the other two witnesses.  “It is a very creative name, Jesse.  I wonder, how much of the legend of the kirin do you know?”

Jesse took off his hat as he scratched the back of his head.  His hair was almost completely dry from the earlier shower.  “To be perfectly honest, Zen, not much at all.”

“Ah, then allow me to enlighten you!  According to legends in Japanese and early Chinese folklore, the kirin was a creature of justice and protection.  It is said that a kirin would refuse to harm a single blade of grass, and would walk on clouds or rivers instead.  They are often depicted as guardians of the people, quick to defend against evil.”  

“Really now?  Huh.”  Jesse put the hat back on his head, Quickdraw following it almost like a cat.

“Yes!  There are many versions of the kirin, from region to region.  They were known as the Chinese Unicorn in European texts, and yet most artwork depicts them with two antlers.”

“So like a bicorn!”

“I suppose that is also correct.  The kirin is a creature of fortune and protection.  And, in many cases, the kirin outranks the dragon.”

Predictably, Hanzo and Genji were flabbergasted.  And yet, the evidence was right before them.  Jesse crossed his arms as he looked around to the three dragons, who were a touch more relaxed than before, but still opting to stay behind their masters.  He didn’t like how the presence of Quickdraw made everyone nervous.  He would have to fix that immediately.  “That explains a lot, actually.  Might also explain why the thought of steak made me sick.”  He turned to Quickdraw.  “We’re gonna need to set some rules here.  First rule:  be nice to the dragons.”

Quickdraw nodded in agreement, walking over to Soba and Udon to playfully headbutt them.  All was forgiven, and the kirin was soon lounging in between the dragons, who were just grateful they weren’t in trouble.  Ramen was quick to act on his jealousy, lying across the three so they could pay attention to him.  Jesse smiled at Hanzo.  “See?  Quickdraw’s a friendly fellow!”

Hanzo watched as the spirits relaxed.  This was a chaotic mess of an affair, but then again, this was Jesse McCree.  And now, he was bonded with a kirin who probably thought Jesse’s ideas were brilliant.  Fantastic--a trickster kirin.  “Jesse, once you are cleared for it, I will have to start training you.”

Genji stepped forward.  “I can also assist--”

Hanzo pushed him aside.  “I will be  _ properly  _ training you in how to summon your kirin.  You are already at a disadvantage, but we will work hard to make up the difference.”

Groaning, Jesse flopped down between Udon and Quickdraw, the dragon finally able to enjoy the promised head scratches.  “Angela, please tell me I have at least a week before--”

The doctor was smiling, which never meant anything good for him.  “You can start your training regiment tomorrow morning!”

Quickdraw nuzzled at Jesse’s beard, laughing with a chorus of bells.

It was a now a beautiful day, the storm far on the horizon, and with the promise for a glorious sunset to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation Notes:  
> Donnerwetter - dammit or my word! Also, as a bonus, the word itself apparently invokes the sound of a thunderstorm  
> Mein Gott - My God!


End file.
